Best of Boston

Fiery martinis, seductive lighting, chef Jamie Mammano’s Mediterranean flavors, alluring bartenders—whatever drarws them there, the beautiful people who sidle up to Mistral’s long, intimate bar wind up in the mood to shake and stir long after the last call. The barflies come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and present a decent cross section of the city’s professional landscape along with well-heeled out-of-towners looking for a good drink and possibly a good time. The come-ons can be so smooth that on a recent night we actually overheard this imaginative opener: “Hi.” And it worked.