On Ballard Ave, just a few steps down from Madame K's Pizza, is a new French cafe Bastille, which opens tonight.

From their press release:

Restaurateurs and business partners, James Weimann (Pesos, May Restaurant and Lounge, Talarico’s, Triangle Tavern, El Camino) and Deming Maclise (Caffè Fiorè), have installed Seattle’s first commercial rooftop garden on the roof of Bastille Café & Bar located at 5307 Ballard Avenue which opens on Monday, June 29, 2009. The restaurant phone number is (206) 453-5014 and the website will be located at www.bastilleseattle.com. Bastille Café & Bar will be open 7 days a week from 4:30 pm — 10:00 pm., with dinner service beginning at 5:30 pm. Brunch will be served on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 am-3:00 pm, and late-night dining will be available until 1:00 am.

I walked past the new restaurant this morning, around 8:30 am, and people were frantically buzzing around inside, prepping the space for tonight's opening. Tape and plastic still covered a lot of the windows, and everyone was cleaning up the dust and other remaining signs of recent construction.

But! They should still be ready for tonight—they'll just be very busy today. And despite the mess, the place was gorgeous. Dark wood and paint, and a big dining area. Unlike Presse, I would never feel comfortable hanging out with my laptop there. It's looks much too nice for that. But since the prices are higher than that of Presse, well, I probably couldn't afford to anyway. (Small plates run about $8-$12, while entrees are $14-$23. The brunch menu ranges from $6-$15.)

Also of note: Happy Hour is 4:30-6 pm and 10 pm-1 am.

UPDATE! An FYI from Bethany: Shannon Galusha (of Veil) and Jason Stoneburner (of Union and How to Cook a Wolf) are doing the cooking.

I'm hungry.