Its been a while - North End dining

Not only has it been a while since I posted, but we had our first dinner of the summer season in the North End-Boston last Friday.  We went to La Galleria 33 on Salem Street.   I love the restaurants on Salem Street, they seem to be about $5-10 cheaper a dish than Hanover Street and just as delicious.  We had been loving L'Osteria but we were a party of 7 tonight so not sure of the crowd on the streets, we went with La Galleria based on their willingness to take a reservation which can be rare in the North End.  They also had a decent variety on their menu, and rave reviews from fellow diners which I always look for when trying a new place.  I will preface this review with DONT order the salmon and vodka pasta.  It was smoked, and the flavor not all that pleasing, the two people who ate it, including Teddy, were not quite pleased with the dish.  I tasted it for freshness, and it wasnt very pleasing.  Having said that, the five remaining diners really enjoyed their meals, and we also shared an antipasto platter....at $16.95 for 7 people, it fed us all and was well worth it.  I had the Galleria stuffed chicken - mushrooms, fontina cheese, ham, a light lemon butter wine reduction sauce made it DEYUMMISH - truly DEYUMMISH, I have to say, even the side of linguine tasted like they churned it on the premises, with a simple tomato sauce.  A hearty dish at $21.95.  Our friend Neills enjoyed his dinner from the grill, a chicken and vegetables all looking quite fresh.  I noticed a shrimp scampi type dish that looked fantastic with large shrimps which you dont always find.  I cant remember what Lisa ate but she said it was excellent, and I believe it...we were all so quiet at dinner, which is a good sign that meals were being enjoyed.  Avoid the salmon, and I think you will agree this is a hidden gem in the North End.