Morton's the Steakhouse   

Until Morton's, The Steakhouse arrived on the scene, the fashionable Canal Street shopping center was lacking a restaurant worthy of its upscale surroundings. Morton's fills that niche nicely, with its clubby, softly lit dining room and its elegant ambiance. It's a chain restaurant that feels like one of a kind, with a great view of downtown and a surprisingly diverse menu. Known primarily for its generously cut, juicy steaks, Morton's also puts out a respectable whole Maine lobster, and an unusually large cut of bone-in prime rib. The Sicilian veal chop is infused with Italian seasonings, while the Cajun rib eye is rubbed with Louisiana-style seasonings. (For the uninitiated: ''Louisiana-style'' = spicy, spicy, spicy.) Morton's is the kind of place where a couple seated at a private corner table gets engaged, while just across the room power-brokers make deals that shape the city. And through it all, the common denominators are USDA prime choice beef, Godiva chocolate cake and a wine list that offers 175 varieties. So civilized. -- Paul A. Greenberg