Best of Boston

2003 Best Group Dining, Upscale

Mistral

Mistral is the kind of restaurant where it doesn’t even matter if the occasion is special—you feel special just being there. Which is why when dining with a group for an important client dinner, anniversary celebration, or just a Saturday night gathering of friends, Mistral is the place to go. The large main dining room, with its soaring ceilings and intimate tables, can easily accommodate large parties, while chef/owner Jamie Mammano’s French-Mediterranean menu accommodates every diner’s taste. There are crispy, thin-crusted grilled pizzas to share, an extensive menu of such tempting appetizers as seared foie gras with confit of duck in brioche, and entrées from crispy soft-shell crabs to roast rack of Colorado lamb. For the biggest groups, there’s the stylish, candlelit Le Salon du Mistral, which can accommodate up to 60 for a lavish seated dinner and is perfect for the most traditional of group dinners: the wedding reception.

223 Columbus Ave., Boston, 617-867-9300, mistralbistro.com