La Belle Capitale

It's the hottest weekend of Eastern Canada's summer, and Old Quebec City is crawling with sightseers. It's been a year since the already tourist-popular destination celebrated its 400th anniversary and hosted an influx of revellers (Paul McCartney included). Twelve months later, the all-encompassing heat hasn't deterred anyone from the city's cobblestone streets, (despite their steep, hilly nature) or chased thirsty souls off quaint patios and into shaded, indoor reprieve.

Indeed, visitors tramp on in full sun — down cobblestone alleyways lined with art, up the grassy expanses of The Battlefields Park — rewarded, every so often, with a blast of fresh air off the St. Lawrence River. In this heat, it’s not a minor workout. The fact that so many determined souls line the pavement is proof that walking Quebec City is an altogether lovely experience.

Saint-Roch
If, like me, you haven’t been to Quebec’s capital since the early days of the new millennium, you’ll notice some significant changes. The most dramatic is the transformation of the once working-class Saint-Roch neighbourhood, previously filled with factories and dilapidated buildings, into the city’s new cultural nucleus. Slick shops (Hugo Boss), swank lounges and artist co-ops have sprung up around Église Saint-Roch, the city’s largest church. Saint-Roch Church is definitely the symbol and focal point for the neighbourhood. On weekends its yard is filled with hippie vendors touting everything from gorgeous, original jewelry to second-hand clothing and souvenirs. By afternoon and evening, lively bands take over the church steps, drawing crowds who fill the yard’s benches, sit on the pavement or stand watching, tapping their feet along to the beat.

Saint-Roch district is a great place to station yourself during your visit. It’s within walking distance of all major attractions, but it’s also just off the beaten path, and you’ll find less tourists and more in-the-know locals outside your doorstep. The most obvious place to stay (for both visual and experiential reasons) is Hôtel Pur.

Purely Mod
The Pur compound looms over the neighbourhood in distinct contrast to Église Saint-Roch, its neo-Gothic neighbour. Pur isn’t a blight on the landscape, but it is imposing, and there's something Orwellian about the foreboding black windows and giant, “P-U-R” lettering visible from blocks away. Its uber-modernity, however, is intentional, and unique to a city filled with classic French architecture and traditional design. It has new, New York vibe — actually just what Quebec City was missing — and chose the perfect neighbourhood to elbow lovingly into.

The hotel lives up to its name — the decor is stark, with splashes of orange and swaths of grey the only hues accenting an otherwise white palette. The aforementioned tinted windows, it turns out, are actually the hotel's strongest selling point. Every room has a wall-sized, floor-to-ceiling pane that overlooks the city. Nothing else about the rooms themselves or their bathrooms is particularly jaw-dropping, but the design is sleek, clean and spacious (without being cold), and the big bed and contemporary chaise are both very comfortable.

Now a chic hotel, PUR is set to become a neighbourhood establishment. Director of marketing Sébastien Thériault excitedly shows me the plans for the hotel's sprawling restaurant/bar/lounge (to be completed in late 2009). He proudly walks me around the still-unfinished space, and even though it’s under construction, it’s obvious this place is going to dazzle. In the restaurant, the communal feel of long, shared tables will no doubt make it a place for scenesters to see and be seen. The bathrooms are already complete, and are indeed very cool (you could shoot a scene from Sex and the City in there!).

The hotel's gorgeous pool also shows great potential. It’s currently flanked by two sad-looking, unused terraces, but Thériault assures me they’ll soon be made into outside gardens with drinks and lounge chairs. Be warned, once complete, Pur has the potential to be an institution you won't want to leave. (395 rue de la Couronne, 418-647-2611)

Versatility
A wide selection of eateries line rue Saint-Joseph — Saint-Roch’s main drag — and its delightful side streets. For the slick, cocktail-dress set, Versa offers a great interior, and a buzzing pre-club atmosphere. Their well-known oysters came on a three-tiered serving plate. Canadian and delicious, they owe much of their flavour to a house-made red-wine sauce — an excellent alternative to horseradish and hot sauce. A blue cheese and chanterelle mushroom puff pastry was perfectly paired with a buttery Chardonnay, and a great menu is capped off with an inspiring twist on tiramisu, scrumptiously stuffed into a jam jar and served up with a large, iced glass of Frangelico. (432 rue du Parvis, 418-523-9995).

Dream Cuisine
For a more laid-back vibe and a serious foodie favourite that feels like it’s been ripped directly from Paris, head to Saint-Joseph Est eatery Le Clocher Penché Bistrot.

This busy resto seemed so quaintly French that I expected Audrey Tautou to be sitting next to me. As such, I anticipated a long and varied wine list (there was). What caught me off-guard was the most inspired and inventive cocktail list I’ve seen anywhere. It’s tough to get a decent, original cocktail in Toronto and I was happy to discover this isn’t a Canada-wide phenomenon.

Because of the warm weather, my server recommended the Barbe Rouge, a refreshing mix of raspberry, ginger, lemon, organic blonde beer and amaretto. Flavourful and quenching as it was, I’m still disappointed I didn’t try Le P’tit Gonzales — somehow I imagine that my homemade version of cucumber, Mexican tarragon, jalapeno, lime juice and Hendrick’s gin won’t be quite as good.

Not to be outdone by their liquid counterparts, the carefully designed, locally influenced appetizers, entrées and desserts were equally memorable. Melt-in-your-mouth fois gras, the chef’s specialty fish with a gorgeous array of local produce and dessert — “French toast” cake with sublime ice cream and fresh pineapple — were highlights on an impressive, ingredients-focused menu. (203 rue Saint-Joseph Est, 418-640-0597)

To Saint-Jean-Baptiste and beyond…
A short, vertical hike from Saint-Roch brings you up, up, and up (a gradually sloped road, a sudden winding staircase bringing you over a cliff, and then a steep narrow road) to the Faubourg Saint-Jean-Baptiste neighbourhood. It, too, is far less crowded than Old Quebec, but has just as much French magnetism with gourmet food stores and relaxed crêperies. From there it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to Parliament Hill, Old Quebec and the famed Château Frontenac. Make sure to hit the Old Port District and Place-Royale (the birthplace of French civilization in North America and possibly the prettiest public square this side of the Atlantic)and Montmartre-esque Quartier Petit Champlain, as well.

Expect the Unexpected
Three things I learned in Quebec City

1. No Money, No Problem Day or night, there is plenty of fun to be had for a song, or less. Pick up a Vive Cité Trail map, and take its picturesque, easy-to-follow 5.5-km route that  sweeps you along every major attraction and neighbourhood. There are free tours of churches and museums` along the way, including not-to-be-missed Choco-Musée Erico which offers a tempting boutique as well as an adjacent museum dedicated to the cocoa treat. (634 rue Saint-Jean, 418-524-2122)

At night, aside from taking in the street musicians playing harmonicas, saxophones, guitars and accordions, visitors can marvel at a unique, open-air cross between art and architecture. Famed Quebec City producer, Robert Lepage has created “The Image Mill,” a truly stunning visual display projected on the world's largest screen — Quebec Harbour’s grain silos which stretch 600 feet wide and 30 metres high! Lepage debuted his creation for last year's anniversary, but by popular demand it returned in 2009 and will continue until 2013, with new material added every two years. Though its last 2009 showing was September 13, The Image Mill will return next summer, playing Wednesday through Sunday nights. Cirque du Soleil also presents a free show five nights a week in summer. “Les Chemins Invisibles,” a mobile performance, takes spectators through the streets of downtown Quebec.

2. Fleur de Sel Whether sprinkled over my oysters at Versa, or mixed to sweet-toothed perfection in dark chocolate caramels at Choco-Musée Erico, Fleur de Sel added some serious je ne sais quoi to my Ville de Québec experience at every turn.

3. No Air Con, please The most refreshing thing about Quebec City was its -- ahem -- lack of refreshment. We're a curious country that laments eight months of winter and then jacks up the AC as soon as the mercury rises above 24 C . Not in Quebec’s capital city, where everything has a travel-back-in-time quality to it, even the air temperature. While my room was perfectly chilled, the hallways at my hotel were noticeably un-air conditioned. (For the twenty seconds one spends traversing them, why should they be?) Same went for shops and cafés. Even on the aforementioned 30 C+ weekend, little boutiques and restaurants stood with windows and doors thrown open welcoming the breeze, while fans buzzed overhead. It was downright warm my entire evening at one upscale restaurant, but the heat just added to the French flair in the airy room with its high ceilings and tiled floor. I couldn't help but think that if this restaurant were plopped in the middle of Toronto, there would be a mutiny —- frantic patrons would complain of the stifling heat, request that the temperature be altered, and in a huff, leave. But guests responded to conditions accordingly, coming dressed weather-appropriately casual, and every red-faced man and woman enjoyed themselves. Hot air at the height of summer? C’est la vie.