Mistral Bistro

More Please

by Abigail Cote

2-14-13

   

 Starting with pizza and ending with pizza, the best of both worlds. Mistral, opened in 1997, is a French restaurant in the South End of Boston. The chef, Jamie Mammano, is the owner.

     The first impression is being welcomed into the lounge and assisted with putting your coat away in an orderly manner. The theme and atmosphere is welcoming and accurate. From the tiled walls and the photographs hung on them, to the floral decorations and the lights, it feels precise.

     To start, for an appetizer we had a simple, thin crust pizza topped with mushroom and herbs. Then, I had the Grilled Faroe Island Salmon. It was wonderful and cooked to perfection. It came in a deep dish and was laid on top of cubed vegetables, lentils and homemade bacon. It was also glazed with a cider mustard glaze. It was light enough and fresh enough to fill you up and leave you content, but it also left plenty of room for dessert.

     After we had enjoyed our own food (and everyone else’s food) it was time for the best part, dessert. Coffee and tea came out and then I was presented with the carrot cake. The first word that comes to mind is orange. At first look it seems as though it would be too sweet and overdone, but the first bite disproves that. Instead of the typical cream cheese frosting, this cake had a cream cheese ice cream. Not the best decision because cream cheese frosting is something that shouldn’t be left behind, especially if the ice cream doesn’t give the same effect. However, all in all, this dessert was fantastic. It wasn’t too rich. It left you satisfied but wanting more. Also, another dessert that was present at the table was pizza. It was topped with dark chocolate and was an interesting twist on typical dessert.

     Overall, this restaurant was a great time. The atmosphere was formal but had a light attitude to it. An of course, the food was to die for.