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A better wedge salad?
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Some people say the best wedge salad in Boston is at Jacob Wirth. That is a good wedge salad, but we think we may have found one better. Maybe.
Johnnie's on the Side is located at 138 Portland Street, by the Garden. If you know which entrance to leave from, it is remarkably close to North Station. It's a top notch dining room full of tchotckes to keep conversation from being stalled. The dining room is full of original signs, both neon and painted board from Boston's past. The menu is small but, as the waitresses will tell you, it isn't the size of the menu that matters, it's how the chef cooks. True.
The wedge salad at Johnnie's is bigger than the Wirth version. This wedge is a third of a head of iceberg lettuce. Before you complain that iceberg doesn''t have a lot of taste, this wedge is perched on a thin bed of mixed salad greens. They are just enough to vary the flavor throughout the dish. Bleu cheese dressing? Check. Crumbled bacon? Check. Tomatoes? No. The greens make up for that, providing a very complimentary taste and more of a salad-y experience. Fresh, red onion tops it all off.
It sounds simple and it is. The balance is right though. There aren't any fireworks but this is one fine well-balanced wedge of a salad. The room is different from the Wirth experience too, but both places are evenly matched on that front, each in its own way. If you're in the West End, check it out.
