Forum Bar / Restaurant

Back Bay, Boston –

Right in the thick of always-booming Boylston Street, slick and trendy Forum provides a sexy respite from the hustle and bustle of one of Boston’s busiest thoroughfares.

During the week, sophisticated 9-to-5ers still in ties and heels unwind at the large center bar, sipping craft cocktails or signature “fusions” like the rum, vanilla, and mint syrup medley known as the Crimson Sky.

Mellow lounge music guards against eavesdroppers, while more than a dozen TVs keep the dapper crowd abreast of the game.

Though the weekday vibe tends to be chill – even with floor-to-ceiling doors facing busy Boylston – small groups looking for more privacy can settle into the rear alcove as they snack on the bistro menu’s chicken waffles or house-made porchetta.

Things liven up come Friday, however, as jacketed young gents and chic party girls flounce through the icy blue foyer, and the cavernous first floor fills with mobs of eye candy.

Those who need to escape the hectic scene can head upstairs, where a more intimate bar and dozens of pristine tables make up the ritzy dining room.

Brunch on the weekends, meanwhile, is an airy experience, with sunlight reflecting off the mirrors that hide the building’s support pillars, and a separate “Liquid Brunch” menu serving up inventive concoctions like Godiva liqueurs and spicy sangria.

Unlike some of the city’s more cramped bars, Forum is the ideal spot to rub elbows with classy clientele without literally colliding with them.