Love and Serve Natural Food Restaurant - Greenwich, Connecticut

Ritzy, country-clubbish Greenwich, Conn., seems like Ran unlikely place to find an 18-year-old vegetarian restaurant but right behind the tony town's main street sits Love & Serve. Under new management, the casual restaurant features a new chef, Chris Erickson, a graduate of the Culinary institute of America. Soon, it will even feature a new name: Organic Planet. But despite these changes, this funky little eatery continues its tradition of offering organic, vegetarian meals to health-conscious patrons.

On a recent visit, we started our lunch with a cup of dairy-free Creamy Yam Soup. Amazingly, it lived up to its name. When it came time to choose an entree, we had difficulty deciding among the many offerings including sandwiches, salads and the day's special, Stuffed Acorn Squash. One table mate opted for the Falafel Pocket, a lightly pan-fried chick-pea patty tucked into a whole wheat pita with fresh veggies, hummus and miso mustard sauce. His neighbor enjoyed the Vegetarian Meatball Pocket, oven-baked, high-protein grain and vegetable dumplings with chili sauce, cheese and veggies served in a toasted pita. Cold sandwiches are also available; one of our lunch buddies tried the Tofini Pita, made of tofu tahini, tamari soy sauce, sprouts and shredded carrots and lettuce. And we still left much of the menu unexplored.

For those of us who love veggie burgers, there were six kinds to choose from including a Cheeseburger Deluxe, Chili Burger and Pizza Burger. On previous occasions, we have savored Love & Serve's BBQ Tempeh and Tofu Stir-fry as well as the Steamed Vegetables over Brown Rice. Dinner entrees include Meatless Mexican Burrito Platter, Macrobiotic Platter and Beans and Greens and Pepperoncinis. Drink options include carrot juice, apple cider, natural soda, natural iced teas and fresh fruit shakes. We finished our lunch with delicious, hot from the oven, oatmeal and raisin vegan cookies; organic and vegan desserts are prepared daily. Those looking for a quick sitdown lunch or dinner, be forewarned, despite the name, the service is uneven.

Name: Love & Serve soon to be known as Organic Planet Address: 35 Amogerone Crossway, Greenwich, Conn. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Mondays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Telephone: (203) 861-9822 Menu: Vegetarian and Vegan Prices: $2.75 to $9.95 Dress: Casual Alcohol: No Smoking: No Clientele: Area vegetarians and locals Seats:40 Credit Cards: No Wheelcheir accessible: Some assistance required Reservations: No