It’s hard not to think of Sidetrack when walking into The Root, a new restaurant located on 110 Lebanon Ave. in Elon. After all, The Root is taking over the site formerly occupied by that once popular sandwich establishment. The interior fixtures remain much the same — it still has those great wooden booths. The wait staff is decidedly college age.

Those are all pluses. The Root (Trackside) also offers a slightly more adventurous menu with lots of vegetarian options or old favorites put together in unusual ways. That’s what drew us there last week. We were up for something different. And because my spouse is a vegetarian, places with the most options in that area always get our attention.

The Root has been open less than a month and it reminds customers of that with notes on the tables asking for patience and also adding that more dinner specials would be coming in future months. I noted on the night we were there that the one dinner special was a flat iron steak with mashed potatoes and mixed greens.

I was tempted but chose instead to get something I’ve never had before — the falfalel burger. It was a sizeable cake on a warm bakery-style brioche bun and topped with a mild cucumber sauce, romaine lettuce and tomato. I liked it and would get it again. My one observation is that it could’ve been a tad spicier with a little more of the earthy chickpea flavor often found in smaller and more flavorful chunks of falfalel at venues like, say, Mykonos on South Church Street in Burlington. I had a pick of interesting sides, including quiona salad. Because my regular diet includes quinoa I decided to splurge and go with the fries. I got a ton of them — hot, crispy delicious.

My spouse ordered the caprese sandwich, an Italian concoction with pesto, fresh tomato and mozzarella. It’s among her favorite sandwiches. This one arrived on a french roll that looked too doughy and white — but tasted just fine. In fact, she liked it but was thrown by the presentation. Where the sandwich didn’t truly measure up was in its tomatoes. This early in August my dining companion was expecting fresh and locally grown product. The sandwich arrived with slices that were barely ripe and had very little zest. The pesto, on the other hand, was fresh and full of flavor. It helped save the day. All in all, my spouse enjoyed the sandwich, but she thought it could’ve been better.

She liked her side item — sweet potato fries — very much. I sampled a couple and found them tasty with just a hint of sweetness. For my taste, no one can get sweet potato fries crisp enough.

Fare at The Root is reasonably priced. My falafel burger was $5.95 and well worth it with the bound of fries. The caprese sandwich checked ina t $6.35. Most burgers and sandwiches are in the $6 to $7 range. Salads are varied an also reasonable. I look forward go going back and trying the Asian salad.

All in all we liked our first trip to The Root. It’s a solid college town eatery where sandwiches rule the day. I plan to go back later and offer a mure full-length review after it’s been open for another month or two.

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