Walking around the Yaletown neighborhood of Vancouver is a sensory overload of coffee bars, upscale restaurants and girls in tight-tight-tight jeans. The genius of the Opus Hotel is that you can merge all of these pleasures into one venue, a home base for soaking up the ambience of this hip-leather-jacket-wearing corner of North America's most beautiful city.

The Opus Hotel opened in Yaletown {322 Davie Street} September 2002, following several delays, much hype and the usual challenges that follow logically with a new property finding its way in a competitive market. But right from the beginning, Opus broke from the norm on several provocative fronts:

Sex & Marketing: In the months leading up to its grand opening, the Opus ran billboards with a photo of an attractive couple relaxing on a bed. The young woman in question was in a state of undress; the young man thrust his hand into the camera a la Frank Sinatra trying to seek refuge from the paparazzo. Clearly, this was not designed to be your mother's boutique hotel.

Bathrooms on Display: Two intriguing elements in interior design make the Opus as unique as the city it's designed to service. Many of the washrooms (Canadian lingo for bathroom) have windows that look into the bedroom-and vice versa. Privacy is preserved with plush curtains blocking the view of what's going on in the privy. And, for the bold and the brave, several rooms include exterior bathrooms that face the street with a wall of glass between you and the pedestrian or automotive traffic outside. But don't worry-black-out curtains are available to once again insure the privacy of the privy (if, in fact, you care a lick for privacy).

Relaxation by Design: As great as it is to cruise around Robson Street, Granville Island or the waterfront, there's something quite amazing about a hotel room that doubles as a cozy apartment. The soft color schemes-royal blue and harvest gold-and comfortable furnishings are strong incentives to ditch the sightseeing in favor of reading the latest Andrew Vachss novel while watching the Toronto Blue Jays lose yet another game on Canadian television.

Gourmet Dining on a Budget: Elixir is a first-rate French bistro that's connected to Opus via the lobby/bar area, though it does offer its own entrance on Davie Street and is technically not owned and managed by the Opus Hotel. Executive chef Don Letendre is a versatile and creative chef/menu planner. His vision for the dining room is quite simple: Serve authentic French country cooking at reasonable prices in a comfortable, informal setting. The food is prepared expertly and the wine list-thought out meticulously by sommelier/manager David Robson, is impressive, especially considering that the food is so unpretentious and inexpensive.

When in Elixir, go for Les Plate Braises - a slow-cooked French country braised casserole-style dish that Letendre fusses over every day, all day. My personal favorite (Letendre serves up a different braised-meat masterpiece daily) is the Saturday offering of Short Ribs ($19.95-all prices are in Canadian currency), served over garlic mashed potatoes in a casserole dish. The beef is incredibly tender, well spiced and infused with hints of red wine and pepper. The portion is generous and an entrée can equal an entire meal.

The other Les Plats Braises specials include Lamb Shoulder on Monday ($16.95); Pork Belly on Tuesday ($15.95); Daube de Boeuf on Wednesday ($16.95); Confit de Canard-duck meat cooked in its own renderings and served crisp and hot-on Thursday ($17.95); Veal Shoulder ($18.95) on Friday; and an exquisite, authentic Coq au Vin ($17.95) on Sunday.

If you are not in the mood for a hearty plate of braised meat-a scary thought -go with the classic French café dishes that Letendre has nailed to perfection. In fact, the Croque Monsieur-grilled with a smoke-infused ham ($11.95), Frog Legs Beignet with Tartare Sauce ($12.25) and the Skirt Steak with Petite Ratatouille ($16.95) are identical to what you'd find at any top-of-the-line café on the Boulevard St. Michelle in Paris.

Elixir Restaurant 350 Davie Street
Vancouver, B.C.
V6B 5Z6
Phone: 604-642-0557; Fax: 604-642-0559
http://www.Elixir-OpusBar.com

Opus Hotel
322 Davie Street
Vancouver, B.C.
V6B 5Z6
Phone: 604-642-6787; 1-866-642-6787
Fax: 604-642-6780

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