Johnny's - Boardman; Almost Damn Good!

Johnny’s has been a long time player in the Youngstown restaurant scene. It used to be located on Midlothian Boulevard, and then moved to the space vacated by Café Capri on Market Street in Boardman when Café moved to its new digs across the street. Lots of folks swear by Johnny’s. But for some reason, we just never frequented the joint.

Then one of my organizations had a Board of Directors meeting there a few weeks ago, and as I got half way through my dinner, I realized what I was eating was damn good. I said to myself: “Self, this is damn good.” So my wife and I and a good friend went to Johnny’s for dinner last night to see if I was right, was it really damn good?

Let’s start by saying that Johnny’s is another in a series of stand-alone semi-upscale Italian restaurants in the Youngstown area…all of which are good; none of which is spectacular. Included in the group are Nicolinni’s, Michael Alberini’s, Café Capri, and the Antone’s chain (which isn’t upscale, but has been around so long one has to include them in group); add in the MVR and Avalon Gardens…it gets a tad repetitive, which is too bad because all of them are just fine.

Johnny’s is an attractive space. I am not sure whether any renovation was done by the current owners or if they just moved into the Café Capri space, but it is pleasant enough. The bar is off to the right and the main dining room is to the left from the entry way. What struck me is how empty the restaurant was. The parking lot was full, and there was a banquet going on in their banquet room…and the bar was filled so it must do a good bar business. But for a Thursday night, there were only three tables having dinner, including us.

I wonder why because the food was good, maybe not damn good, but close enough. The menu is varied with a wide range of Italian oriented dishes, and steaks and chops. The waiter was well trained and professional with a great demeanor (although he got distracted when a friend came into the restaurant and they began to chat in earnest).

I had the same dinner I ordered previously at my Board meeting. The Chicken Prosciutto was basically Veal Parmesan with a twist. (Think Chicken Pepperoni from the movie Seems Like Old Times with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn!) It was very, very good…and almost damn good. Same could be said for my wife’s salmon and our friend’s seafood medley and pasta. They make a mean martini served absolutely ice cold in an iced glass, and will stuff the olives for you if you ask. We started our dinner with an Italian egg roll appetizer, which was stuffed with chicken, spinach and cheese. That is a combination that my grandmother used a lot of in her cooking, and you don’t see very often in the local restaurants. The marinara sauce here IS damn good. You can eat it with a spoon.

Johnny’s is now on my approved list of place to eat. It deserves more attention than it apparently gets for the quality of its food. Prices are reasonable. Will it get a 4 star Michelin rating? Probably not…but sometimes damn good is more than enough.

I give it a very solid 3 ½ meatballs; a minimal décor upgrade and a web site could move it to 4.

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Johnny’s
7807 Market Street,
Boardman, OH 44512
(330) 758-8262