At certain restaurants, sometimes the scene is just as delicious as the cuisine. That's definitely the case at über-chic Canal, one of the fine-dining establishments at the upscale SouthBridge development. Nope, we won't set foot in this place on a bad hair day — not when the rest of the crowd's so dolled-up. The dimly lit bar area attracts a youthful, good-looking bunch dressed in slinky attire, while the main dining room seems to draw its share of sugar daddies and stiletto-shod cougars on the prowl for young meat.
If you can manage to take your eyes off the action, you'll notice that chef Justin Beckett turns out some fine dishes, such as grilled lamb chops with minted couscous, sweet corn cakes with avocado salad, and "ahi three-ways," which we think might be some kind of sexy subliminal message. High-fashion images projected on enormous screens and an illuminated catwalk in the middle of the room scream "style" at full blast, while throbbing beats coming from the DJ booth suggest something more primal. At Canal, we sense there's more to lust after than just the food.