The Root Table - Ballard

Tuesday after work we headed down Market Street in Ballard to try out The Root Table (http://www.roottablerestaurant.com/) for happy hour. Got there about 5:30 and were immediately seated by a very nice young man who doubled as the bartender.


The furnishings were very unique - loved it! All of the tables appeared to have been made from giant split logs and the chairs, lighting, candle holders, menus, etc. all had the same theme. The table we were seated at was a big uncomfortable, only because the log that held up the table was rather large, affording us little foot room. I compensated for that by moving my leg around the log and resting it on my companion's lap :-) I was especially happy that there was a little space heater right next to our table - it was very chilly out so was nice to be warm!

We ordered the bartender's special drink - a hibiscus infused vodka/soda combination. Very tasty and with a good sized splash of vodka. We enjoyed our drinks as we perused the extensive and tantalizing happy hour food menu.

Decided to start with Roasted Duck Spring Rolls ($5), Market Street BBQ Chicken ($6), Roti & Curry ($5), Sweet Basil Mussels ($6), Blanket Shrimp/salad ($6). Several of these came with different dipping sauces. The plates arrived promptly and we practiced dueling forks over the variety of culinary choices.

Roasted Duck Spring rolls were delicious!!! Bits of duck mixed with greens & vegies and wrapped in rice paper made a healthy and [hopefully] low cal snack. We quickly wiped these out!

The BBQ chicken was tender and very flavorful. Consisted of several large pieces - finger licking good!

We could have done without the Roti & Curry - billed as Asian style pita bread served with house curry. The sauce, like all of the sauces, was flavorful, but the pita bread not so great.

My favorite was the blanket shrimp, served on a bed of a yummy salad. These were black tiger prawns stuffed with marinated ground chicken and wrapped in a fried (?) wonton. I could have scarfed down dozens of these - SO good!

The mussels were decent and came with garlic bread to dip in the sauce, but they were a bit larger than I prefer.

Our attentive waiter/bartender came back to clear away plates and we ordered another round of the hibiscus infused vodka cocktails together with another order of the roasted duck spring rolls and an order of Cajun calamari ($5) with dipping sauce.

I wasn't a big fan of the calamari, basically because it was breaded and fried, but I thought it tasted fine!

Our tab for all this succulent nirvana came to around $50 - pretty good deal for all we had to eat!

Altogether a positive experience and I'm definitely looking forward to a return visit to try some of the other tasty sounding appetizers...not to mention the dinners, which we barely glanced at!