The days of wet T-shirt contests and boozy brawls on Fort Lauderdale beach seem long gone when you're savoring cocktails and caviar at Cero, the elegant restaurant in the lobby of the new, ultra-luxe St. Regis Resort.

Open only three months, the marbled-floored, crystal-chandeliered space done in soothing natural hues is doing a brisk business, attracting a mostly local crowd. (Dress code: "resort casual.") There's also a lovely oceanfront terrace, but during the summer, it's more comfortable dining inside.

Prices are high, reflecting not just the prime location but high-grade ingredients like the vegetables executive chef Toby Joseph has flown in from Ohio's famed Chef's Garden.

Joseph, a former chef at Palm Beach's Café L'Europe who won plaudits most recently at the St. Regis in Houston, has assembled an appealing selection of light fare perfect for South Florida. Seafood dominates, and flavors are crisp and clean.

The menu is still evolving, but we hope Joseph keeps a starter of house-made gnocchi, small, light baubles that melt in your mouth. They're sautéed to a golden brown in olive oil, then cooked with chili flakes to add a nice kick. Chives, black truffle and tiny yellow and red organic pear tomatoes complete the dish.

If you're a fan of carpaccio, know that Cero's is made with smoked sirloin, not raw beef, giving the paper-thin slices a dark edge. It's paired with hunks of Point Reyes blue cheese.

A refreshing surf-and-turf tartare of glistening organic salmon and prime rib won raves from our table. The salmon is spiked with ginger, scallions and a sesame-oil vinaigrette, while the well-seasoned prime rib has a hint of Worcestershire sauce.

Even on a hot summer night, we couldn't resist a superb cream of lobster bisque. The server pours the rich, assertive soup over she-crab at the table, and finishes it with a swirl of sherry reduction.

Raised in Cape Cod, Joseph is picky about fish and seafood. ("People don't realize how often they're not getting snapper or sea bass, " he says.) His seared diver scallops were wonderful on a surf-and-turf special with tender slices of slow-cooked lamb over a lentil ragout.

We would have preferred his snapper without the bland tomato compote, but the potato-crusted halibut was a hit. The pan-seared fish tastes fresh from the sea, covered with a crisp layer of shredded Yukon Gold potato and served with a creamy spinach elevated by lobster sauce. Salmon is also very good, moist and juicy, set atop a summery green papaya and crab salad.

Among meat and poultry choices, we liked a homey, roast cornish hen -- at $32 one of the cheapest entrees -- with baby artichokes, globe carrots and Brussels sprouts in a riesling pan jus.

The wine list is extensive and expensive. We ordered an Etude Napa Valley rosé, among the lowest-priced bottles at $46, which perfectly complemented our meals.

We had mixed success with service. On one weeknight visit, our young waitress was friendly, professional and attentive. On a busy Saturday night, however, our waiter seemed distracted and made us wait for water as well as the check -- not the kind of impeccable service you expect at such an elegant, expensive place.

Desserts are fun, particularly pastry chef Jordi Panisello's popular Key lime "lollipops" coated with white chocolate that come with a taste of coconut sorbet and a dollop of mango pudding wrapped in marinated, shaved mango.

Chocoholics will prefer his tiny ice cream sandwiches, served with a trio of warm Nutella beignets and a cup of cinnamon-laced, guanaja chocolate cappuccino.

Pair it with an after-dinner drink or head over to the cozy, dark-woods wine bar, complete with a climate-controlled, walk-in "cellar" with room for 5,000 bottles.

The Strip has grown up, indeed.