You won't have to dig into your wallet to eat at Root Table

Right in the middle of a recession may not be the ideal time to open a restaurant. Yet, diners looking for reasonable prices on Asian fusion cuisine in an atmospheric setting might well keep Root Table busy.

Indeed, the Ballard restaurant, which opened in January in the space formerly occupied by Floating Leaves Tea, is doing better than expected, said owner Kalan Intawong, who also owns nearby lighting store Enlighten.

Root Table is Intawong's first restaurant, though his family in Thailand has been in the business for 50 years.

The menu: Tapas ($5-$6), entrees ($8.50-$10), sandwiches ($7.50-$8), soup and salads ($7-$7.50), a few desserts ($5-$6).

What to write home about: The tapas. The root fries ($5) — seasoned taro, sweet-potato and potato fries, served with spicy ketchup — had a nice kick, thanks to a bit of cayenne, paprika and garlic powder. They were so tasty on their own that dipping in ketchup wasn't necessary. The coriander black-pepper beef crostini ($5), with its small piece of flank steak, bell pepper and spinach stacked on garlic crostini, provided a good mix of robust flavors and different textures.

The entrees we ordered (coriander kebobs and the crown mango salmon special — $10 each), while not as tasty as the tapas we tried, were still solidly executed, served in generous portions and artfully presented. The beef kebobs (part of the coriander-kebobs entree) were flavorful enough to stand on their own without dipping in the coriander sauce, which had a tad too much salt and not enough coriander.

The setting: The unique décor has a kind of Asian- modern-meets-Hobbit aesthetic. The walls are painted in warm, earthy shades of burnt sienna and dark sage, lending it a cozy, burrowlike feel. The tables and chairs are in free-form wood shapes, the light fixtures covered in bamboo and the menus bound in wood.

Summing up: Dinner for two, including two appetizers and two entrees, came to $32.85 including tax. It's a lovely neighborhood restaurant for a relaxing meal, at a price point that won't make you too tense in these tough times. And if you need to relax even more: Root Table has happy hours that include $4 tapas plates, drink specials and half-price bottles on Wednesdays.

Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com