Shuddup, and eat your greens

I have always thought that "eat more greens" was sound advice, dispensed by wise physicians and pharmacists though the ages. However, Eat More Greens seems to doing its best to persuade people otherwise.

Now I'm all for vegetarian food - my frequent flyer profile insists on vegetarian meals, and my annual Lent fast means no meat or fish for 40 days. I adore fresh fruit and vegetables, and you can normally serve me rice any way you like.

But this little venue in the Azabu Juban may force me to change my mind. Not only does the food fail to impress, but they take their NYC East Village metaphor to bold extremes that would shock Rudy Guiliani. The furniture is mini-me sized and truly uncomfortable, and the decor could best be described as Spartan (note the uppercase).

The menu tends to cute rather than cuisine - I had a vegetable soup that had more in common with vegetable stock than minestrone, and the side rice dish was at best good roughage. The glass wine from Argentina and California may be organic, but it's far removed from viniculture.

I'm prepared to be wrong and try it one more time, but this restaurant was a disappointment. That's a pity, because places like Le Garcon de la vigne show what can be done with great produce if talented cooks are let loose. Do yourself a favor, and eat less greens.