Best Spot for a Romantic Dinner: Stars above, tables illuminated by the flicker of candlelight, unobtrusive service, and even the name, Le Saint-Amour, 48 rue Ste-Ursule (tel. 418/694-0667), bespeak romance.

Best View: Revolving rooftop restaurants rarely dish out food as elevated as their lofty venues. L'Astral in the Loews Le Concorde hotel, 1225 cours du Général-de Montcalm (tel. 418/647-2222) is an exception. The food here is above average and the cost is entirely reasonable.

Best Bistro: In a city that specializes in the informal bistro tradition, L'Echaudé, 73 rue Sault-au-Matelot, near rue St-Paul (tel. 418/692-1299), is a star. Classic dishes are all in place, from confit de canard to steak frites. The dining terrace is on a pedestrian-only street.

Best New Restaurant By Far: Yuzu, 438 rue de L'Eglise (tel. 418/521-7253) is getting everyone's attention with a kitchen that experiments with original presentations of sushi and other Japanese cuisine. Very hot.

Best Restaurant (No Arguments!): Laurie Raphaël, 117 rue Dalhousie (tel. 418/692-4555), is named for the owners' children, a choice that isn't lost on those diners who devote great care to things they hold important -- family, friends, and the tables around which they gather.

Best Rockin' Hot Spot With Good Food: You don't have to be young, gorgeous, and hip to get into the Voodoo Grill, 575 Grande-Allée (tel. 418/647-2000), but there seems to be a lot of self-selection going on. As part of a complex that includes two bars and the Maurice disco, the noise level is brutal and the pace frantic, making the surprisingly good food all the more remarkable.

Best Seafood: The owner of Le Marie-Clarisse, 12 rue du Petit-Champlain (tel. 418/692-0857), selects all the just-off-the-boat seafood served at his comfortable bistro at the bottom of Breakneck Stairs. There's a fireplace inside and a terrace outside.

Best Pizza: For conventional and unusual toppings on crispy-thin crusts that work better with a knife and fork than fingers, hit Les Frères de la Côte, 1190 rue St-Jean (tel. 418/692-5445).

Best People-Watching: Le Marie-Clarisse's (see "Best Seafood," above) few outdoor tables -- perched above the main pedestrian intersection of Quartier du Petit-Champlain -- monopolize an unsurpassed observation point.

Best Place to Take a Teenager: Tasty pizzas and inventive pastas coupled with a thumping stereo and the noise level of a 20-lane bowling alley make Les Frères de la Côte (see "Best Pizza," above) a logical choice for parents with teens.