TRACE At The W Seattle Debuts New Menus
After a complete transformation earlier this year, TRACE at the W Seattle brings Asian-inspired cuisine to the area with new food and drink menus and a 12-seat sushi bar.
Chef de cuisine Steven Ariel has created a menu that focuses on current trends and what's next in the culinary world. The new sushi bar features sustainably sourced fish, and the kitchen sources ingredients from local purveyors like Salumi Meats in Pioneer Square; Quillisascut Cheese Farm in Rice, Wash.; Stokesberry Farm in Olympia, Wash.; and Mad Hatcher Poultry in Ephrata, Wash.
The à la carte dinner menu at the 100-seat restaurant boasts seasonal small and large plates like crispy egg and foraged mushrooms with Yakima asparagus and shallot vinaigrette; pepper and espresso Wagyu flat-iron steak; grilled king salmon with trofie pasta, arugula, and romesco sauce; and Blue Bird Grain farro with gathered vegetables, caviar lentils, king oyster mushrooms, and a vegetable demi. The dessert menu highlights locally sourced ingredients with dishes like "A Study of Washington," with green apple and Moon Valley honey semifreddo; Theo chocolate and coconut with chocolate cake and brittle, coconut foam, and sorbet; and Silky Fonte coffee crème caramel with salted macadamia nut brittle.
The bar serves snacks like "Mack & Jack's" steamed Manila clams; Painted Hill short rib sliders with braised red cabbage and pickles on a brioche bun; and soy bean hummus with grilled eggplant and house-made crackers. Charlotte Voisey, who has appeared on Top Chef Masters and The Next Iron Chef, consulted on the cocktail menu, which includes drinks made with locally distilled liquors: Cocktails include the Washington State of Mind, with Clear Creek Douglas Fir liqueur, bourbon, and lemon juice; and the Seattle Swizzle, with gin, lemon juice, and almond orgeat syrup finished with vanilla bean soda from Seattle's Dry Soda.
Lauren Mack is the Travel Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @lmack.