The Tides Hotel is one of Ocean Drive's most spectacular icons, but its restaurant hasn't come close to matching its stunning architecture. Until now.

Los Angeles designer Kelly Wearstler created an interior for La Marea that is at once edgy and elegant, with low-slung pendant lighting, lilting bronze banana trees, whimsical hooded leather chairs and thick, khaki-colored linens against gleaming terrazzo floors.

Milan-born executive chef Pietro Rota and consultant Robbin Haas, meanwhile, have created a menu that has all the flavors you want at a seaside resort. From buttery poached lobster with fennel confit to simply seared diver scallops plus an array of perky salads, divine pastas, luscious seafood and a few hearty steaks, nothing is too fancy and most everything works well on the plate as well as the palate.

It seems impossible to go wrong with the streamlined starters, including a delightfully light and tangy fish soup with a lemony tomato broth and a generous smattering of super-fresh clams, mussels and scallops. A hot broth dotted with littleneck clams, chorizo, basil and chiles was equally good, and a bowl of thumb-sized black Mediterranean mussels with a sauce that rivaled the clam's was even better.

All have an abundance of rich, spicy juice that begs you to dunk in hunks of fresh bread until the bowl is clean. It would be easy to down a whole loaf by the time main courses arrive, but try to resist. There is too much other good stuff ahead.

On one visit, I savored a delicate, deconstructed ravioli of paper-thin pasta sheets over a pair of coddled eggs held together with a light and flavorful layer of mashed potatoes and a smattering of Tallegio cheese. Our clumsily sweet waiter was close to clueless about the black truffles he shaved over the dish (``They train these special pigs in Italy to smell them'').

And then there was the waiter who managed to mangle rather than fillet a gorgeous, perfectly seared yellowtail snapper, resulting in lots of needle-length bones in our mouths. On subsequent visits, however, the staffers who took care of us were knowledgeable and savvy, eager to offer tastes of wines from the impressive international list, split portions in the kitchen and give expert advice.

Chef Rota's clean cooking technique pays dividends with the exceptionally fresh seafood flown in from around the world nearly every day. A divine Dover sole is served pan-seared and already deboned with sweet baby carrots and white beets in the most elemental lemon butter sauce. A simply sweet piece of flaky white loup de mer, roasted and split down the middle, is exquisite with nothing more than olive oil and salt.

An unbelievably rich, pudding-like polenta with creamy mascarpone and Parmesan is not to be missed, but we could have skipped a pile of overcooked red and golden beets layered Lincoln Log style beneath an oddly melted and recongealed mass of blue cheese. Ditto the tidbits of bitter, shriveled artichoke heart and a tragic tangle of badly seared broccoli rabe.

Go, instead, with a fresh and tasty salad like the arugula with slivers of deep-red tomato and see-through sheets of Parmesan.

Of the many good-enough desserts, a bracingly sweet-tart lemon-curd tart brought me back to a moonlit evening in a Capri piazza.

This stunner has yet to find an audience since opening in late May, but for those who enjoy elegance and simplicity without the ubiquitous South Beach scene, it should be as easy as a swim in the sea.

FYI: Reservations suggested. Full bar; corkage fee $25. Limited metered parking; valet $20.