Root Table

Root Table, a new pan-Asian fusion restaurant, has opened in the old Floating Leaves Tea space between the top of Ballard Ave and Leary on Market. Props to myballard for getting the news out. We went in to check it out last night and had a great meal. Unfortunately I forgot the camera ... Here is the basic website (alas very little information yet)

You enter off the appealing gated alcove giving a kind of secret garden feel. There are two levels, an upper level (which looks over the main floor, the open kitchen and the street) and a sunken main dining room (dominated by a large common table). We sat in the more intimate top area, which I enjoyed tremendously.

The decor of the space immediately pops when you walk in (the owners also own the essentially adjoining Enlighten space). They have great, really organic wood tables with irregularly shaped tops, knotholes etc. , a variety of complimentary chairs and stools and all of the menus are enclosed in handpainted wood slabbed menus. There are small candelabras on all of the tables and paper shade and wood lamps. The walls are painted pumpkin/rust, red and black. Overall it really works: the feel is a mix of contemporary and traditional Asian. The music was background dub giving the place a cool, almost London-like vibe.

I didn't check out the wine list but they have a few really decent draft and bottled beer selections. I had a Hair of the Dog "Ruth" from Portland, which is a great bottle and my wife had a Laughing Buddha Brewing Co. Pandan Brown draft, brewed here in Seattle.

During Happy Hour they have about 10 small plates for $4 vs. the regular price of $5 on the menu. We had savory lemongrass chicken "lollipops", duck spring/salad rolls, vegetable samosas and beef kabobs. We also each had the menage a thai (seared chicken, beef or fried tofu) with a trio of curry sauces (green, red and yellow). The plate also comes with amazing roti, rice, a hot chile and some sauteed bok choy. It's a good deal I thought at $10. I got the tofu; my wife ordered it with the seared chicken. Everything was enjoyable. I really enjoyed the lemongrass chicken, the beef kabobs and the menage a thai the most (I would probably order the same again ... except I would add an order or Roti with curry ... that's how good the Roti was!). The vegetable samosas wer very flavorful. I do prefer them with a little higher ratio of center/filing to fried wrapper. At $4 for 4 (the happy hour price) I didn't find them a bad value by any means. It's just my stylistic samosa bias ... :-) The spring/salad rolls were delicious and exactly what you are thinking and they are striking looking (they also come with an amazing spicy Thai peanut sauce) but the lettuce was just a bit too much and overwhelms the rest of the roll, and specifically the duck.

All told a great evening. The service was friendly and attentive and the kitchen was on the ball. All of the food was spiced/seasoned perfectly. We'll be back. Check them out.