If you’ve got an evening to spare and you’re in Miami, you must try out Mandarin Oriental and Azul. Chef Clay Conley works magic in that kitchen, and the restaurant is surrounded on nearly all sides by Biscayne Bay … this is a worlds-away experience.

Recently, I dined there to celebrate Pommery Champagne’s Cuvee Louise. The lunch paired different champagnes with three courses.

We started with an “amuse bouche” of a tiny, cold-water oyster (I didn’t confirm what type, and I’m a bit rusty on my oysters—it’s been years since I opened what seemed, at the time, like a gazillion oysters every day for lunch at Union Square Café in New York City ) with a slice of cucumber, topped with crème fraiche and caviar. It was perfect with the '98 Louise we were served.

This was followed by a “deconstructed” clam chowder — a trio of fried clams, a strip of confit pork belly and the soup itself with one clam — served with Cuvee Louise '96.

After that, a delicate piece of wild king salmon with lemongrass consommé and incredible scallop dumplings (a piece of fresh pasta wrapped around the lightest of scallop mousse; I might dream about these in the future), which were paired with Cuvee Louise '90.

The final course was a tasty orange cake with a white chocolate/orange ganache and a new treat for me, a cape gooseberry. This was paired perfectly with Pommery’s Rosé '92.

What a nice place to linger for lunch or dinner, enjoying the creations from Conley, perhaps washed down with a glass — or three — of Pommery.

Azul, Mandarin Oriental
www.mandarinoriental.com/miami/dining/azul
500 Brickell Key Drive, Miami
305-913-8358