I dined recently at La Marea Restaurant in the newly refurbished Tides Hotel on Ocean Drive in South Beach. Italian Chef Pietro Rota has placed the menu emphasis on simple and sublime seasoning and preparation that manages to delicately enhance each dish while allowing the flavor of each entrée ingredient to shine through. There are no heavy sauces or elaborate sleights of hand here – the emphasis is on the star of each dish, whether it be fish, meat or fowl.

So important is the integrity of each meal that they are presented along with a trio of salts with which to flavor them: sea salt, black lava salt and coral salt, each with its own distinct flavor. Rota’s talent is best summed up by a line from his bio: His signature dishes “reflect a clean ingredient-driven approach to flavor layering and healthy eating.”

This is food for foodies – those who appreciate that less is more and who have a passion for experiencing subtle variations in seasoning, pairings and presentation. For instance, Chef’s version of mozzarella Caprice featured vine ripe, slightly grilled tomatoes and a less pasteurized mozzarella that was much creamier than the standard version of this cheese. These subtle differences raised this simple dish to a new level.

The Prince William Island mussels were done a light sauce with a delicate butter flavor, while the Mediterranean seafood soup offered a healthy serving of clams, mussels, shrimp and squid in a tomato-based broth. The lobster fettuccini featured a generous serving of lobster meat finished with mint, pepperoncini and cream, while my chicken breast was prepared with roasted garlic and herbs de Provence and cooked until it was rich with flavor, the meat still moist. You must save room for dessert, including Rota’s homemade ice cream and sorbets and the fresh raspberries with aged balsamic sabayon.

Besides Rota’s cooking, La Marea has two further things going for it: top-notch service and sumptuous décor. The wait staff are all professionals, fully grounded as to the menu and wine list, and their attention to detail is evident from the moment they offer you a tray containing cinnamon sticks, fresh fruits and berries with which to flavor your water.

The Tides’ new space has a great vibe: as soon as you walk into the lobby, you feel cocooned in an atmosphere of warmth and hospitality – truly a home away from home. This is SoBe class, rather than SoBe craziness or, god forbid, that horrid minimalist look that's been done to death. Who wants to stay in a white box with one green apple on a table for color? La Marea’s space is done in elegant shades of white, cream, gold and brown tones and is accented by gold palm trees, brown leather Hall Porter chairs and the amazing array of (reproduction) tortoise shells on the walls. Check out the space yourself online to read more about the Tides and La Marea. Next time you’re in SoBe, I urge you to make a lunch or dinner reservation – THIS is fine dining. www.tidessouthbeach.com.