If you’ve never stepped into a lounge or restaurant in the hyper-chic W Hotel chain, you’re missing a significant development in 21st-century decorum. Since the first W opened in Mexico City in 2003, its developers have spawned a series of stunningly designed restaurants that make the ’90s look as outdated as the ’80s. There are now 24 hotels worldwide, including the W San Diego, plus more in the global pipeline.

Here, the hotel’s fine-dining marvel is RICE, where patrons enter into a stylized space with dark red walls, curvy banquettes and draperies bathed in soft-orange uplighting. A scattering of wood tones and fabrics spare it from appearing overly stark, although the polished concrete floor and open layout oozes with newfangled sterility.

“Very ‘Sex in the City,’” remarked my dinner companion as a pedestal of assorted breads was brought to our table. Spacey, low-beat trance music, along with a couple big pours of Summerland Syrah from Paso Robles and Plum Jack Cabernet from Napa caused us to further melt into our seats.

The menu is authored by Executive Chef Matthew Herter, who demonstrated a proclivity for using bold flavors in unique combinations during his previous stint at Nectar. Since working at RICE he’s perfected the craft significantly, showing off a slew of luminous dishes that we found thoroughly enticing.

From the “share” category, the Signature Rolls with hot, spicy peanut sauce are a must. Held intact by thin sheets of rice wrappers, they’re filled with Napa cabbage, chopped grilled shrimp and a bouncy dose of fresh mint. The Charmomile-Infused Prawns we tried were tangy and wonderfully novel considering that most chefs in town haven’t laid their hands on this citrusy oil extracted from the Charmomile plant. Completing a trine of fine appetizers, we also loved the Vanilla Seared Scallops, which were big and fresh and danced well atop the chef’s very original black pepper caramel sauce.

Such precise meshing of flavors ensued with a sensational salad of baby greens, spiced walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese drizzled with blood orange dressing. Everything jibed. My companion’s Heart of Romaine salad, however, seemed like a winner on paper, but the anchovy-kalamata vinaigrette tasted bitter and didn’t reveal many hints of fish or olives.

In what is probably one of the best dishes I’ve consumed all year, the Seared Wild Salmon steamed in grape leaves is a recipe that Chef Herter must never alter or take off the menu. When unwrapping the perfectly-cooked filet, a waft of fresh-squeezed lemon rose out of it. Those same vapors kept hitting the roof of my mouth in gentle waves while eating it. Tucked inside were capers, tomatoes and a touch of feta cheese – the whole thing juxtaposed on a bed of chipotle fettuccine.

My companion’s entrée was equally luscious – Mushroom-Crusted Beef Filet that had all the qualities of prime grade. It came with decadently creamy brie mashed potatoes, which caused her to exclaim: “These are the potatoes that God must eat!” A warm salad with good, steaky-tasting mushrooms also accompanied the meal, which was presented attractively on an Asian-style rectangular plate.

As in every W Hotel restaurant, the chefs are free to add and subtract their own dishes, which seems to have given Herter all the experimentation he needed for banging out sensational cutting-edge meals made with wild fish, free-range meats and locally grown organics. Other specialties on his soon-to-change menu include Tea-Infused Veal Chop, Cinnamon & Szechuan Pepper Duck and Chicken Breast stuffed with chorizo and queso fresco.

Herter even keeps a finger in the sugar bowl in overseeing the dessert menu. We were easily dazzled by a silky Scharfen Berger Chocolate creation with pistachio crust. An apple “pizza” with goat cheese and caramelized balsamic was good, if not for its ambitious blend of flavors. And the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Double Crème Brulee, layered with phyllo, got washed down with a couple of glasses of heavenly Canadian icewine by Inniskillin.

RICE is a place that has its trendy act together in terms of service and comfort. And Herter doesn’t rely on the restaurant’s cool, hip atmosphere to fool us into thinking the food will be good. It just simply is.