Pic-a-Pasta

Pic-a-Pasta claims to offer "77 different ways to eat pasta," which sounds ambitious for a bare-bones Brighton takeout. But don't underestimate this eatery -- it lives up to its mission of providing the '90s answer to fast food: quickly served but still fresh and healthy, using only natural ingredients.

By choosing among a myriad of noodle varieties, sauces, vegetables, and meats, you can build a dish of pasta exactly to your liking. The pesto (extra heavy on the basil) and the chopped-tomato sauce (deliciously garlicky) are among the most delicious choices. Add-ins include carrots, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, salami, broccoli, meatballs, shrimp, prosciutto, and chicken. A small pasta with sauce costs $4, and makes a hearty lunch; a large costs $6 and makes a generous dinner. Mix-ins are 50 cents per veggie and 75 cents for meats.

Building your dish, of course, is half the fun, but there are also made-to-order dishes (eggplant parmigiana, lasagna, and chicken marsala, to name a few) for $4.25 to $6.95, along with soups, subs, and salads for the creatively challenged.

Pic-a-Pasta is located at 435 Faneuil Street, Oak Square, Brighton, and is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m.

-- Theresa Regli