Mistral - Back bay

Big D and I went out on a limb tonight and tried the suggestion of one of his colleague’s recommendations. I’ve been to Mistrals before, but it had been so long I saw no reason to hold back so off we went.

Mistrel
223 Columbus Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
Phone 617-867-9300
Fax 617-351-2601


We had reservations, but came early by maybe 15 minutes. This seemed like a shock to the hostess, and she put us by the bar to wait. There seemed nothing wrong with this, I was looking forward to checking out the cocktail list anyways. So we read the list and waited. And waited and waited. After about 20min I asked one of the lovely waitresses standing around doing nothing if she could get me a drink. She smiled, said yes and then told me to wait till someone helps me. I smiled back and decided I did not like this cocktail waitress.

We did finally get our drinks, our seat and my good humor back. We had a booth seat in the back with just the right amount of light and more then enough distance from the seats near us. Big win for Mistral!!! Our waiter was friendly, helpful and knew exactly how far to push what he new was right and our need to order whatever we darn well pleased. Of the many wait staff people I have had, this man, this above and beyond, server was my favorite.

Food breakdown:

Drinks: Ginger & Pear martini. Very good start, but by half way through I was sucking down sugar sludge. Big D had his amstel and it was even server in a glass. Shocking.

Appetizers: The Maine Crab Ravioli made me swoon at the table. The flavor still lingers in my mind. So light on the pallet, but such a heavy hitter on the taste buds. I have no idea why this is not a main dish yet. I could have ordered 3 or 4 of these and been in heaven. I will even quote Big D here as saying this dish was the best he has ever had while out with me.

I also tried the seared Foie Gras with confit of duck because I am a sucker for a foie gras. Thankfully the Mistral did not let me down. My facial reactions were of such delight that Big D even had to try some. Luck for him he managed to snag a bit or 2 before I wolfed it all down. The Foie Gras was so tender, the duck perfectly seasoned, but the brioche seemed just a tad too tough.

Pizza: I had to try the Fig and Prosciutto pizza. My fabulous server tried to persuade me otherwise, but I was stagnating about it. It sounded so tasty! After that build up I don’t want to say it wasn’t, because it was. It was just that after such amazing starts as the crab raviolis and foie gras, it stung my tastes. I could barley eat 2 bites before I stopped and conceded that my server was right and I should not have mixed the flavors.

Main dish: I had the Dover Sole. It sucked. All I had in my mouth was fish. I’m not sure why I bothered. I should have just asked for more crab raviolis. Big D has the duck. I ate a bunch of his and was significantly jealous. Mistral might not know anything about fish, but they do one hella good duck.

Skipped desert this time, but from what I saw on other people’s plate nothing demanded my attention. I’m picky with my treats, if I’m going to cheat on my diet I better be doing it with something well worth the fat thighs.

All in all I enjoyed this restaurant. They knew how to treat their customers, once they got passed the useless cocktail waitresses and the dishes they do well are done so well I will always come back again and again. Big D gives it 2 thumbs up for stuffing me so delightfully and for the inspiration that created the crab raviolis.