James’s Gate: Let Us In!

On a dark, rainy night, there’s nothing quite like a roaring fire to make you feel all warm and cozy. Unfortunately, Nacho Patrol World Headquarters lacks a fireplace and is so much of a tinderbox that we try to avoid open flames of any kind. Enter James’s Gate in Jamaica Plain to warm our pyrotechnic cockles with their open fireplace (Pro tip: the benches against the back vibrate quite forcefully when the dishwasher is running, in case you want any of your other cockles warmed,  ifyaknowwhatimean…)  They also charmed our nacho-loving hearts with their nachos with chicken:

Hey, we actually brought a real camera this time!! Don’t you just love this ooey-gooey closeup??

• Appearance: ( 8 )Very visible cheese oozing out the sides, flying the colors of the Mexican flag on top.  Still, the nachos themselves were a little wan due to lack of chili.  The few black beans that dotted the cheese were merely a garnish.
• Quality of Ingredients: ( 7 ) The chips were house-made, thin and crunchy, but a little on the greasy side and lacking in salt.  The cheese was delicious and perfectly melted.  While a little on the dry side, the chicken did have a nice smoky flavor.  The biggest kudos went to the guacamole, which was chunky, fresh and scrumptious.
• Distribution of Toppings: ( 6 ) The guacamole and salsa were appreciated on top, but the sour cream just got in the way, smothering the more delicate flavors and generally being a big, white, wet blanket.  While there was a lot of cheese and it was well-melted, there were still a lot of naked chips.  We normally eat nachos with chili, and for good reason; it’s viscosity really helps make proper distribution a breeze.  If you’re only offering chicken or steak, you need to go above and beyond with the distribution of the other ingredients, and here these fell short.
• Price: ( 6 )At $12 with chicken, these are a little high for both the quality and the neighborhood.
• Overall: 27. The potential is there, but they need a bit of work. (Note: our reviewers were split on the overall quality of these nachos, so this review is from the negative side.)

Tags: Dark & Stormy, fire!, Guacamole, Jamaica Plain, Pub