I had lunch there a few days ago - a veggie sandwich with peanut sauce and fried root french fries. The sandwich was very nice. The fries were too salty, but some people might like them better this way. The tables seemed like they'd be too weird to sit in ,but they worked fine. My only real complaint was it was freezing cold in there, but I guess everywhere in seattle has this problem.

With a name like Root Table I would have expected it to be a Vegetarian or Vegan Restaurant.

Now that actually sounds like a place worth trying. Thre three curry dish sounds good. The decor seems a bit much but hey 'ya gotta have a gimic. '

Last time I went out for dinner, I was freezing as well (not at Root Table) - what IS up with that?

I HATE to be cold when I eat.

Hurray for something different - can't wait to try it!

Ate there a couple weekends ago. It was cold as hell, but the food was pretty good. Also, they have Laughing Buddha beers on tap (the Pandam Brown and the Ginger Pale), which are amazing. I like the decor, but the tables are a little bit impractical.

My husband and I ate there last Friday. The food was wonderful. I would recommend going to their happy hour. They are a full bar and an open kitchen.

The menu is fairly small but very good. I loved everything but the samosa which was essentially a potato potsticker, but that is because I am not a fan of fried food.

My only suggestion is to remember that you have an open kitchen and if you are going to eat your dinner, take a seat in the restaurant. No one wants to see you eat in the kitchen, especially if the food doesn't make it to your mouth.

are you positive this place is in ballard? it doesn't appear that they are serving pizza, sushi, or hamburgers.

I'm drawing a blank on the address. Which space is this?

It's where Floating Leaves used to be.

Husband and I went there 2 weeks ago. The fresh rolls were especially good, with entire lettuce leaves sticking out the top. I had a lychee cocktail that was surprisingly good.
I think if they become popular (and I hope they do) they will regret their choice of chairs. The chairs are very bulky and make it hard to cram many people around the tables.

the food was delicious and affordable!!

I've had the Chicken Satay sandwich and the Green Curry Chicken sandwich -- and both were delicious!

And the place itself is awesome. I love the furniture!

Does anyone know if it's kid-friendly? From the pictures (and the menu titles) it looks more like it's geared toward adults.

define what is kid friendly?

Without knowing what you mean by kid-friendly, yes, I would say that they are. No strippers, if that's what you're concerned about.

Ha silence! If you never serve your kids
'kid' food they eat what you eat and if you teach them to behave they can be taken anywhere OTHER than a place with strippers I suppose.

Actually...what is kid food?

"Kid-friendly" meaning do they welcome kids and do they have high chairs?

A bit off topic for this restaurant, but what is UP with people taking toddlers and infants to expensive restaurants where they run around like they're in McDonald's PlayLand?! We were trying to enjoy a nice, intimate dinner at Tilth in Wallingford the other night and had to trip over the jogging strollers in the front entry, navigate the high chairs at the ends of tables, and suffer through one child playing with the master light switch in the restaurant. Come on people, get a babysitter!

No, they aren't kid friendly, cuz I wanna eat there and not listen to kids yammer or watch them run-around.

"Come on people, get a babysitter!"

YES!!! Some can behave, and are more than welcome, but as a server, when I have to step over your child every trip to/from the kitchen, there's a good chance of them getting HURT, and when I have to drag them away from the other tables they are "visiting", it is NOT COOL.

Not to mention the child who kept running over and turning up the stereo to deafening levels while the parents laughed and laughed....

It's not just about you and your kid - other people are trying to enjoy their dinner, too.

OH I loathe strollers. I only used a foldable tiny one for maybe a year at the most between her being too heavy to carry and her being able to walk and ONLY when I was in a place where I was not strolling over other’s space. Part of the choice when you have kids is that you will have to give up a few things for a few years, like eating in small closely set restaurants. I love my kid I DON’T love yours. Take them to grandma’s she loves them like you do.

very good point made blacksheep.

the last thing i want to do when enjoying & paying for a nice dinner is to sterss out about other peoples' children. i wish more parents thought this way.

For the love of all things holy, STOP bringing children to restaurants unless by 'restaurant' you define it as 'ChuckECheese.' They are NOT appreciated nearly as much as doting parents may think. (Goes for theaters, too.) Even if you put them in a Valium haze, they don't have the higher capacity of forethought, general manners and they don't compulsively wash their hands. You'd be surprise how few people around you appreciate it when you bring them into a restaurant or other public place. And breastfeed elsewhere. Lots of options available aside from public.

kids and Valium do not mix but i definatley hear, and agree, with your point! (i know you were kidding)....

some children are very well behaved but still, people must remember that dining out is more than about "just you". it does make other diners uncomfortable.

i dig children (i work with children all day 50 hours a week so i feel i am a pretty experienced commenter) but they are not having fun eating out until they are old enough to have table manners and respect for where they are and taught how to behave. the reason they usually act so bad is that they feel ignored and bored. boredom leads to disasters usually at that age.

A friendly reminder: Restaurants aren't solely the domain of single, childless people. If kids are well-behaved, they have just as much right to be in a restaurant as anyone else. I've sat next to my share of idiots in restaurants who behaved far worse than my kids ever have.

My wife and I made it a point to take our kids to restaurants as soon as they were old enough to leave the house because we wanted them to learn how to behave so we wouldn't have to spend $60 on a babysitter every time we wanted to leave the house.

We do not allow them to leave their seats, yell or bang things on the table. They get it – and we get to continue our social life. And, if you're afraid of someone else's ill-behaved kid (or happy-hour drunkard) ruining your meal, it might be a good idea not to hit a restaurant before 7 p.m.

I’m not taking my kids to Volterra, but if I get the stink eye at Barking Dog, the Old Town Alehouse or the Hi-Life, watch out!

Thank you PDX Ballardite. And the reason I was ASKING if anyone knew if it was kid friendly was because I don't want to take my kids somewhere where they are not wanted and we don't feel comfortable. There are plenty of kid-friendly places around Ballard and we eat early. If you don't like kids, then I suggest you avoid places that welcome them and eat after 7.

I used to work in restaurants and of course there were some annoying kids... but to assume that ALL kids in restaurants run around and annoy folks is just not true. SOME people are actually responsible parents and keep their kids in check.

BUT... I used to work at Applebee's and every Sunday night this couple would come in and let their 3 year old run rampid. He'd lay on the floor right outside the kitchen. What if he caused some server to drop of plate of sizzling fajitas?! Poor parenting would result in a lawsuit.

That's just a side note...

I think some of y'all are pretty lame to suggest that kids aren't welcome somewhere. And Ballardise was just asking as to not go with kids if they didn't have things to keep kids happy. Gosh.

PDX Ballardite, Ballardise & Candice -- thank you!

And a huge thank you to all parents who invest the time and effort into raising courteous kids.

Any restaurant is kid friendly if your kids are well behaved and the parents know the boundaries of acceptable behavior. And that's the way it should be. If my kids ran around the place, thowing shit, bugging other people...then we'd yank them outta there faster than you can say "check please".

But at least give me the benefit of the doubt when we arrive. 'Cause if I get one more shitty attitude, dirty glance, or rolled eyes when we walk it, I'll get busy handing out knuckle sandwiches.

So... by extension..if african-american diners make someone "uncomfortable" we should ban them too?

And the difference between a highchair and a wheelchair at a table is?

I agree that if a kid is acting-up his parents should reign them in. But if you simply don't like the aesthetics or minor inconvenience of accommodating others who are different --- then maybe its you that should stay home you.

Ironically, I bet most of the kid-haters think of themselves as open-minded, informed liberals. But substitute "nigger" for "kids" and "wheelchair" for "highchair," -- and then tell us you don't sound like an ignorant redneck.

Zach, are you SERIOUS?

All this is about is behavior.

If a kid, person of any race, creed, or orientation acts like a lunatic in a public place they should not be there...Jesus, get off the soapbox!

Let me guess...Zach is the parent of an obnoxious child.

It's not just if people are made uncomfortable by children in general - that IS their problem. I once had a couple give me a nasty look after I seated a family with a child near them. If you can't sit near a well-behaved child (and he was well-behaved), then that is your problem.

But when they are a danger to themselves (and me), and when they are disrupting the dinner of other customers, and when I have to re-set every table in the place because they fondled all the silverware and dumped salt on each and every table - they need to be taught to stay at their table and behave.

Speaking of theaters, I've done that, too, and had a mother berate me for daring to ask her to remove her *shrieking* child from the auditorium. "You don't HAVE children, DO YOU???", she screamed at me.

No, but I know I'll have to refund the the ticket price to every customer in that theater if your kid won't let them hear the movie....what part of that is hard to understand?

Oh good grief, see where all those "Ballard Loves Babies" posters have got us?

I appreciate a well behaved child, as I have two. However, when we decide to eat out, we get a babysitter and go out and enjoy adult time. Is it expensive? Yes, but that's our problem because we chose to have children. The other adults in the restaurant don't owe me a thing and I wouldn't ask them to listen to my 3 year old if a "crabby" moment hits. And honestly, to the folks who take their kids to dine before 7pm, really, do you really go that early? Every time?

See at at Snoose Junction with the kids, or see you at Root Table or Volterra without them.

Mr. Bean loves kids, and Mr. Bean loves his single childless friends. Mr. Bean does not love his parental friends who won't spring for a babysitter from time to time.

I think I just got dumber. Thanks Zach. I can't believe you're raising kids.

This is the problem. I often think that the people that don't want kids would make better parents.

Hear, hear, Mr. Bean!

Nicely done.

myballard never ceases to amaze me with the comments.. talking about a restaurant has led to anti-public breastfeeding, racial slurs and kid hating! hysterical.

before everyone freaks.. i dont think racial slurs are hysterical. i think how up in arms everyone gets is.

Bringing kids to the theater (unless it's a kid's movie) is a crime against nature.

Don't ruin my experience.

I was at a ten o' clock screening of Babel, which is hardly a kid's movie, and this gigantic family walks in. They have a baby with them, a couple toddlers and various other children. The baby is making noise the entire time because it's a baby and wants to go to sleep. Then it starts crying and no one was doing anything about it. I wanted to shoot the parents. Finally someone else says, "you can't take the kid out of the fucking theater, that's not an option," and they did. Baby's shouldn't be allowed in theaters for this reason. Horrible parenting.

Also, stop talking in the theater. Even a whisper is annoying. It's not your living room. I find old couples do this the most, or teenagers. I feel bad telling an elderly couple to be quiet but what else can I do.

Elle, no one's hating kids. Kids are kids. They do kid things like running around and banging spoons on tables. Action, reaction.

It's the idiotic parents that are at fault.

snoose junction is a blast with kids! we go there for lunch alot! obviously they are "kid friendly", as i don't see many adults playing at the train table!.....except me, but i am cool like that.

"myballard never ceases to amaze me with the comments.. talking about a restaurant has led to anti-public breastfeeding, racial slurs and kid hating! hysterical."

Elle it's what makes conversation interesting.

I'm totally anti-public breastfeeding, though. I mean, c'mon, no one wants to see that.

Silence.kit, you would not believe how many times I saw people bringing young children into movies that were too adult-themed for ME. I mentioned it to an employee once, and he told me, "kids are too dumb to get it". I'm sorry, but what they are "too dumb" to get is the fact that movies aren't real. Horrible parenting.

And my favorite "no talking" story...I was in watching a movie on my day off, and a couple came in 10 minutes after the movie started, came up to me, and asked me what they had missed. And no, it isn't because they knew me from working there. I'm not sure if my glare ACTUALLY burned a hole in them, but that was my goal.

Wow, that's pretty bad. Admission to the theater should cease once the movie begins.

Had a really nice dinner at Root Table last Friday. My hubby had the Green Dragon soup which was a amazingly healthy but a tasty soup too. I had the curry which is magnificent. If you're a curry lover you gotta try it. You get three types of curry which really mixed things up. Anyway, the carved tree trunks in the space are really striking. I love all the woodwork.

Thank you Paula Wilson bringing this post full-circle.

"I mean, c’mon, no one wants to see that."

Depends how attractive the Yummy Mummy is.

Paula glad to hear the curry is good. We may have to check it out Friday evening.

I find nothing offensive about breast feeding in public. It’s such an easy, convenient, healthy and inexpensive way to feed a baby but being aware of the neurosis of Americans when I did it I stayed out of public. Choose your battles.

Mr Bean says "And honestly, to the folks who take their kids to dine before 7pm, really, do you really go that early? Every time?"

My one year old daughter's bedtime is 7. We've been out to eat with her occasionally and we always go on a Saturday or Sunday evening around 5. Any later than that we are risking some crankies. And if that should happen one of us leaves the restaurant with her while the other gets the check.

Sorry some people have had bad experiences but please don't generalize, I would hate to get a nasty look just walking into a place with my family. I really try to stay local but heck, if you need me to drive to Lynnwood to get some food because I'm may be too tired to cook and don't feel like dropping more on a babysitter than I plan on spending for my meal, by all means!

Chris, most of the kids that come to my restaurant are well behaved, and I don't mind when they come in. It's just that the horror stories tend to stick out, and I really do worry about them getting hurt - it's a really fast-paced environment, and the stuff I'm carrying is HOT.

I don't doubt that you get dirty looks. I have worked with servers who have said, "you take 'em" when families came in - and then I've gone on to have a good time and get paid for an extra table to boot.

Unfortunately it is always the bad eggs that stand out. I got on a plane with a 6th month old and immediately the man seated next to us asked to be moved. I breast fed her during takeoff, which clears their ears, and she slept the whole time and I got the luxury of no seat mate. BTW I did not have a stroller with me. It is easy to carry a 6th month old in your arms and a few extra diapers in your purse. In fat that trip cured me of ever taking carry on again. So much easier to fly without having to juggle crap.

To MrBean, jules and ConstantDiner - learn to cook and move to Belltown. Families started Ballard and will remain here - we didn't ask for you AND your ugly monolithic condos. Go back to the urbanite living quarters please.

Mr Bean lives in a SF home in Ballard (purchased 15 years ago from my dear old Granny) with his wife and two children. Mr Bean cooks all the time but enjoys eating out as well, nowhere near children.

Mr Bean also likes Black Bottle in Belltown, thanks for reminding me.

Are Giraffes in Ballard also so quick to jump to conclusions? Does a long neck make one angry?

Well Mrs Bean and I are off on a toot in Belltown. I trust the chitlins won't drive the babysitter too crazy.

Mr Bean also sounds like a great family man who likes to spend time with his children and teach them how to behave properly in public.

I ate at Root Table tonight and I had an enjoyable experience (there was even a table with little ones *gasp*). The Root Fries were tasty, along with Golden Gardens Curry (tofu and yellow curry) and the Laughing Panda beer. We will definitely be heading back.

Silence.Kit

Lemme' guess. You've posted TEN TIMES on this one subject. You seem to have plenty to say about how others live their lives.

Here's and idea: How about going out and getting your OWN flippin' life. Jesus! Give it a rest you pathetic you boring, anal-retentive douchebag.

Oh goody. We've gone from arguments about old Ballard vs. new Ballard to arguments about loving or hating children.

How pathetic.

I don't mind kids being in restaurants at all, as long as they are behaved. If they start acting out, throwing things, screeching and disturbing the other customers, they need to go home. Period.

And then there's poor Zach, who clearly needs professional help for his issues.

Oh well, I was hoping to just read some reviews of Root Table and walked into the freak-out comment thread, by mistake.

Hey Devin -

Abusive much?

So, getting back to the new restaurant in town called RootTable, four of us ate there last night and really enjoyed it.

Wednesday is half-price wine night, so that was a good start.
The left side of the menu is small plates at around $5 ea. Entrees on the right aren't too much more than that.

The samosas were disappointing...basically just fried wontons... but our other food was quite good and unique, including the chicken lollipops, menage a thai, and green dragon. We'll be back.

SO off topic, PDX. ;)

Devin,

What exactly are you guessing? You begin your post with "lemme' guess," but you don't guess anything. Are you guessing that I'm an anal-retentive douche bag? If so, you would be incorrect.

You remind me of a quote from Aaron Sorkin (look him up, good writer). He says, "Nothing has done more to make us dumber or meaner than the anonymity of the internet." You are a shining example, judging by the structure of your post. that he is correct.

Kudos, Devin! You've done well. You've officially insulted someone you've never met on the internet.

GOOD JOB!

Geez, Silence, can't take a baseless, out-of-nowhere, crazy-rude, hidden-identity attack from a stranger? Sensitive much? :)

Devin, maybe if you had YOUR own flippin' life, you could find better things to do with your time than attack people for having a conversation.

Devin, you're way outta line with that sort of talk. Just take it easy dude.

Sorry to interupt with a question about the resturant...Do they have a bar? Or is it just tables?

No bar, but they do serve liquor.

If there was a bar, I'd be there all the time for their Laughing Buddha beers.

Excluding the Laughing Buddha beers this place is just as pretentious as the Matador, give me the Sloop or the Jolly Rodger anyday.

I wouldn't call The Matador pretentious. I'd call it awful, but not pretentious.

I'm convinced that the Jolly Roger is the greatest place in Seattle.

Back on topic... The Root Table.

Stopped in for lunch last weekend and it was quite good. Tasty sandwich and nice staff.
Sitting next to the single pane window on a cold day was chilly, but hopefully it's warmer in there on all but the coldest days. If not, may I suggest a second pane of glass or a new window? Landlord should be willing to cover some of that cost.

Hey stop whining about bringing kids. If you don't like kids at a restaurant, DON'T GO OUT TO EAT. Unless restaurants decides to stop allowing kids, which isn't going to happen since they aren't going to turn away business and it is illegal to not serve kids unless it is a bar, then get used to it! No sympathy for all of you kid-less cranks.

silence.kit wants to post 25% of the posts, and then complains about other people to the moderator.

whiner!

Who did I complain to?

What now?

We loved it! A friend and I had a great time there. It was comfortable,charming, delicious food, good service .....enjoy.

WOW Food was great! Four of us, 12 tapas plates and all had one drink from the bar we split the tab 26.00 each including tip! We found out that after 9 happy hour starts again! Way cool place!

We've gone to the Root Table in downtown Ballard a number of times since it opened earlier this year. We've enjoyed everything we've tried on the menu from tapas to dinner entrees.
The dinner we had there this evening was just beyond good.
We had a phenomenal beef stew there this eve. This is hands down the best beef stew we've ever had (and we've had a fair amount of the classic irish, english beef stews). The sauce was just amazing and the beef was tender, perfectly done. It's apparently one of the specials this week.
So, if you're lucky enough to go there this week, definitely try the beef stew, also, the green curry pumpkin soup was quite tasty as well.
We're definitely making the effort to get back there before the week is up!