Hot Plate

James’s Gate free-form pasta

Free to be delicious

By DEIRDRE FULTON | June 28, 2006

If you haven’t stepped into the cozy dining room of Jamaica Plain’s James’s Gate recently, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by its recently overhauled restaurant menu, which introduces snazzy new appetizers and main courses for the summer season. But don’t worry: a few favorites survived. One of them is the “Free-Form Pasta,” which changes daily, depending on the whims of the kitchen and what’s in season. Thank goodness. The entrée, which arrives in a sizeable bowl, is one long sheet of pasta that’s wrapped around, and surrounded by, various veggies, spices, and sauce. One recent offering combined broccolini, caramelized onions, portabella mushroom, and tomato in a blue-cheese sauce. Another popular combo of smoked tomato, fresh mozzarella, and spinach was so well-liked that it earned a place on the Gate’s menu for one entire season. The free-form is often vegetarian, but if you crave protein, you can add chicken for an extra two bucks. “The reason I like the free-form so much is that it’s so versatile,” says head chef Brian Seymour. “I can change it according to whatever mood I’m in.” Luckily, Seymour’s moods translate into the ultimate comfort food for the rest of us.
Available for $16 at James’s Gate, 5-11 McBride Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.983.2000 | jamessgate.com.

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