dbar Gay Club / Lounge / Restaurant

Dorchester / Jamaica Plain, Boston –

Amid Dorchester’s garden variety collection of dingy pubs, dbar is a diamond in the rough – or maybe a sweet fruit in a field of rutabagas.

Although it transforms into a hopping gay club later in the evening, this classy venue offers a mixed and mellow dinner scene, with dapper patrons of all sexual persuasions settling into long leather booths to sip multicolored martinis under the icicle lamps.

Quiet techno and lounge music mingles with the aroma of gourmet New American entrées, as couples in cardigans and dark jeans cozy up in the soft twinkle of tea candles at the bar, savoring Moroccan-spiced lamb and duets of pork.

After 9pm, the relaxed mood fades when projection screens drop from the ceiling and music videos incite a lighthearted sing-along.

On Fridays and Saturdays, the slick black tables are cleared to create an impromptu dance floor that quickly fills up with trendy folks looking to groove, though Show Tune Tuesdays often draws major crowds as well, when a video DJ shuffles Broadway hits and Glee favorites till the wee hours and would-be divas still in their day-job pleated pants belt out ballads with Tony-worthy aplomb.

With festive theme nights set against a posh backdrop, dbar delivers a hefty dose of sophisticated fun in an area of the city with a serious shortage of style.