Rice
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 398-3082
- Price:
- $$$$
- Cross Street:
- State Street
- Best of Citysearch:
- Business Dining 2007, Date Spot 2007, People Watching 2007
- Hours:
- Daily 6:30am-11pm
Message from Rice
Where a delightful world of cuisine awaits.
- Magnet Bar
- Wonderlush Happy Hour, M-F
- Pet-Friendly on Patio
Paid advertisement by Rice.
Editorial Review for Rice – by Whitney Friedlander
The Scene
Brown and sage accents in the modern, red-walled dining room reflect off rich, leather booths with throw pillows along the window. Trendy diners in relaxed jeans and stylish shirts sip from the largely coastal Pacific wine list over quite conversation and light techno tunes from the lobby in the background. As the night goes on, the space crowds with downtown hipsters and the music gets louder.
The Food
Although the name might sound Pan-Asian, the menu encompasses all regions of the world that use rice as an ingredient. The seared ahi tuna with sesame represents Asian-fusion flavors, and other delightful standouts include tender pork loin in an almond sauce with no hint of aftertaste and rich sea scallops in cream sauce.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
ParkingRice will partially validate for the hotel's parking, which will usually cut down the cost to around $8.
When to Go"Wonderlush Happy Hour Monday -- Friday, 4-7pm. 1/2 off all bites, WoW wine of the week $6, spring fling cocktails $6, draft beers $4. Also, P.A.W. Doggie Happy Hour is the last Tuesday of April -- October, 5-7pm, on the front patio.
Know Before You GoThe W is a good ways outside the heart of the Gaslamp. Bring $5 bucks for a cab if you plan to go out after dinner.
User Reviews for Rice
08/29/2007 Posted by freebie_grabber
I ate here with my uncle and his date (yeah, I know -- weird combo, eh?) back in February of 2002. We were seated outdoors just as the sun was setting, so the magic hour cityscape scenery was great. We ripped our way through countless beers and cocktails, and indulged in uber-expensive, microscopic-portion "Modern Pacific Cuisine" dishes. From what I recall, the food was great. We spent several hours at our table, but I don't think our server (herself a young hottie) was in any hurry to shoo us away, judging by my uncle's urban hipster wardrobe (backward kangol and sport jacket) and our easily-three-digit bar tab. If you haven't already read about it, Rice is downstairs from the W Hotel's "Beach Bar", with sand and a fire pit. If you've got cash to burn and you want to impress a date, take her here!
Pros: Upscale ambiance, excellent food and drinks, hip location
Cons: Microscopic portions, high prices
01/31/2007 Posted by rkreisler
My dinner experience here was horrible. The wait staff didn't know anything about wine, in our party of six, everyone's food was either cold, over-cooked, dry, too salty, too sweet, or all of the above. My steak was well-done (a filet well done!!!!!!), and the panna cotta was rubbery, and you had a sneaking suspicion half the things they served were out of a box/can. We were one of six tables in the restaurant and the food took forever to be served. As you can guess, I was hesitant to go back for breakfast weeks later, but friends of mine were staying at the W, so I obliged. The chilaquilles were decent, but they couldn't make it spicy enough even after we requested extra spicy. The peanut butter french toast thing was the sugariest thing I've had in my entire life. After three of us each took one bite, we had to push it aside. We were on the patio on a beautiful day and for the two hours that we lounged there, we had countless refills on coffee, but every cup was lukewarm at best, and they said they had no way of producing a hot cup of coffee for us - a "fresh" brew was just as cold as the last.
Pros: Food had good presentation, nice bar/lounge scene, good-looking people, decent mixed drinks.
Cons: Food was poor, expensive, service was sub-standard for the price and expected caliber.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
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