A great post, with which I mostly agree, but not entirely:

Mamma Maria is not Southern red sauce Italian. I don't know if it's accurate to pigeon hole them as Northern Italian either, but, for example, their signature dish is their wonderful Osso Bucco, which is squarely a Northern Italian dish (from Milan). I also disagree that "some" love it and "most think it's ok." If, for example, you do a search on chowhound, you'll find that although it does have some detractors, most are quite pleased with the place. And because of the configuration of the restaurant, they are particularly well suited for a group this size. Yes it can be pricey (but still less expensive than some of the places on your and my lists).

Mistral probably is correctly catergorized as "edgy," but I always have found it to be an warm and inviting restaurant, with great food and service.