Senor Moose

Address: 5242 NW Leary Ave.

This was probably my favorite restaurant so far! It's the kind of authentic Mexican food that doesn't leave you feeling too full. Atmosphere is cozy and service is good.

If you go, you need to try the chips and salsa platter with the guacomole. Best guac. I've had in a while! I had the Tacos de Carnitas ($10.95) and J had the Tostadas Machaca ($9.95). Both were delish. Only drawback is it's kinda pricey for Mexican food...but you pay for the authenticity!

J&C rate this a: 4 out of 5

Check out their full menu at: http://senormoose.com/

Taqueria Tequila

Address: 301 NW 85th st.

We visited Taqueria Tequila last Friday. We were both excited because we love Mexican food. You actually order at the counter as soon as you get there instead of being seated, which actually makes things go faster because there's no wait time after your meal. He tried the Durrango burrito combo meal which was pretty good, but beware you'll have foodbaby afterwards. I had the chicken taquitos which was decent...I also ordered a margarita that was nice and strong. Prices were a little steep for a Mexican restauraunt. All in all an average experience.

J&C rate this: 3 out of 5...we'd probably go back.

Root Table

Address: 2213 Market St.

So...all journeys have some bumps in the road. Granted we went on a Friday night, we'll give them a little slack. We didn't mind waiting about 20 minutes for a table...but after we were sat we waited 40 minutes for our food...and we ordered off the Happy Hour menu!!

No cheap classics beers here, (aka bud light, miller, coors). so i asked the waiter for his recomdations for a light beer. and he brought out a beer after about 10 min. not sure on the name of the beer but it had the number tweenty two in it. from the first sip it was nasty. the after taste, tasted like i just had smoked a cigar. yes i like cheap beer! but i can appreciate a nice beer, like a good heff. i just choose to have a less filling beer that i can enjoy and refesh myself. but this beer was nasty!

Food wise...it's an Asian Fusion restuarant, so you'll have to get out of your comfort zone. We ordered the lemon grass chicken, stuffed mushrooms and the chicken bruschetta which were all pretty good and satisfying. Oh yeah....parking is an issue

Kiss Cafe

Address: 2817 NW Market St.

Really cute, small place. Lots of neat artwork for sale on the walls. The food was also pretty good, I got the B.L.T. and he ordered The Mafia. A unique treat about this place is you get a jar of pickles before your meal...and with your check you get a Hersey's kiss! Prices are average for a sandwich place. Another thing is you can bring your dog into the restaurant and there's doggie treats...so maybe a nice afternoon lunch spot before you go to the dog park.

Thai Siam

We actually started this project last week with Thai Siam...here's our report!

Address: 8305 15th Ave. NW

Overall, this place is really good...I think we just got a little risky with our spice threshold. He got the Phad Thai with two stars and it was way too spicy. I'm sure if we were more conservative on our stars, we would've loved our food. All in all the prices were reasonable and the wait staff was friendly and assertive.

Check out the full menu at: http://www.thaisiamrestaurant.com/

Intros....

This blog is about discovering the many restaurants Ballard has to offer. I was born and raised in Ballard and have a lot of favoirte spots, but there is a lot of places I still have yet to explore. One of my faviorte web sites is Myballard.com. I like to check up on the local news and visit the forum. Myballard.com also has a list of restaurants people can rate. I have chosen to visit the top rated places on their list. Its a pretty long list so this adventure should last all summer... I am not a food critic so this is not just about the food but about the experience. Yes, the food matters but I'm looking for a nice fun place I haven't been to yet. The service and the atmosphere and crowed all matter. This is all in the opinion of my girlfriend, my friends and I. This is just a quest to find and experience new places in Ballard, the town I love. -The Mayor

As a newbie on the scene at Ballard, I decided to take up my boyfriend's offer and check out this epic list of restaurants. What makes this journey funny is I LOVE spicy food and trying new food...while he's more of a "play it safe" kinda guy. Anyways, hope this is helpful in deciding where to spend a meal!-C.C.