One of the most popular dining spots this Valentine’s Day will no doubt be at One Ocean Resort Hotel & Spa’s Azuréa. With its spectacular beachfront setting and tantalizing flavors, it’s no wonder this place is one of the most sought-after reservations in town.

We dined there one chilly evening in December. While the valet parked our car, we scurried indoors to a much warmer and intimate setting. The moon was at its fullest. We could see it through the glass doors, just beyond the sea oats. It was a full house, as was the ultratrendy bar just outside the dining room.

We were seated at a crescent-shaped booth — a dozen or so tables are also available—and our table was set with sea glasslike place settings and a seashell-filled candlelit centerpiece. The restaurant is awash in deep blue hues, white accents and dramatic lighting, while splashes of chocolate-colored leather complement the wood floors throughout.

Azuréa’s sommelier approached our table and went over the wine list, which afforded a varied selection of bythe- glass and bottle selections. He returned to pour our glasses of Steele Shooting Star Riesling and Pascual Toso Malbec.

Executive chef Ted Peters paid our table a visit. Curious of his culinary background — Chef Peters informed us he majored in business at Johnson & Wales University before becoming a full-time chef — he perfected his skills at The Ritz-Carlton in Boston; at a couple of restaurants in London and France; The Ritz- Carlton, Amelia Island; South Beach; the Caribbean; and Acqualina Resort near Miami Beach before he returned to Northeast Florida to cook at Azuréa. “My background is working with European chefs, but when I moved to South Beach I was introduced to cutting-edge, fusion-style cooking,” he said.

Chef Peters said Azuréa offers only the best ingredients; he deals closely with farms and ranches to ensure all-natural, organic and humanely raised meats. “You have to start with something incredible to make something incredible,” he added. He tries not to mix too many flavors in order to preserve the integrity of the product. Patrons can expect southern flavors with traditional, classic techniques.

The menu changes with the seasons, but not entirely, he said. “The menu is a constant evolution. We look at the seasonality of food, but we don’t change everything. We keep some signature items because a lot of our guests come back for them.”

The first course, which changes nightly and is just a single serving in size, was a piece of Indian-spiced lamb. Served on what resembles a tiny spoon rest, the skewered baharat spiced meat is drizzled with raita, a yogurt sauce seasoned with cumin, lemon and cucumber. It was very powerful in taste, yet delicious.

The bread service is exquisite — one of the most flavorful I have ever seen. Our server, Jo Jo, delivered a basket of flat bread, cinnamon raisin nut bread, ciabatta and olive bread. A rectangular platter affording four different individual toppings included olive oil balsamic vinaigrette, hummus, sun-dried tomato and black olive tempenada.

The menu is plentiful, with 10 beginnings from which to choose, and Jo Jo knew it like the back of her hand. She suggested starting with the cast-iron seared jumbo blue crab cake ($16) with apple cider braised collard greens and charred heirloom tomatoes and crisp smoked bacon; and the very popular chilled seafood sampler ($18) with poached Hawaiian blue prawns, cold-water oysters and smoked scallops served with horseradish dipping sauce and shallot peppercorn mignonette. The prawns and oysters are staples of the dish but the third seafood item rotates by day.

We opted for her third suggestion: the Maine lobster cobbler ($15). It resembled a potpie as the puff pastry bubbled over the dish and hid any sign of braised leeks and hefty chunks of lobster beneath. The dish is flamed with cognac, warm tarragon and mascarpone quenelle. This dish is perfect in size to share and was an outstanding start to our meal.

We could hardly wait to dive into the main course, which was a little tougher to decide on. There are 16 entrée choices available from the specialties and simply grilled portion of the menu — with half of the entrees coming from the ocean just feet from Azuréa’s kitchen. A few seafood selections include Azuréa seafood risotto ($34); coriander dusted sea bass ($32) with spiny lobster-mango gastrique and culantro emulsion; Tasmanian salmon mignon ($26) served with braised spaghetti squash with pine nuts, aged pecorino, tomato consommé and a quail egg; and Indian spiced halibut ($28).

The most popular entrée of the evening and the dish my guest chose was the “local catch, 3 ways” ($29). On this particular night it was mahi mahi, however, chef Peters will substitute it with other catches on the menu, such as reef snapper or black grouper. The first preparation is grilled with stone fruit salpicone, followed by bronzed with lime butter emulsion and lastly, beignet battered with smoked Vidalia onion remoulade. The fried portion was very similar to a tempura preparation and our favorite among the three. The serving was ample, with each portion offering about four to five bites, and was served over mousseline potatoes.

I had planned on having seafood before getting a glimpse of the meat dishes available. My choices included tellicherry crusted organic beef tenderloin served with crisp bacon polenta frites and creamed silver queen corn ($36); Duncan Farms cervena natural venison ($46); and two generously sized steaks — a 12- ounce Harris Ranch 21-day dry aged New York strip with port butter ($38) and a 34-ounce Harris Ranch naturally raised tomahawk rib eye in roasted shallot juice ($58).

I was hungry but I had no chance at conquering a 34- ounce steak, so I opted for the smaller New York strip. Each bite was cooked to perfection and full of flavor. The port butter melted on the meat and made each bite even more delightful.

Other specialties include house made porcini and ricotta ravioli ($34); slow braised boneless wagyu short ribs ($42); and Maple Leaf Farms duck breast ($32).

Side dishes are served a la carte ($5) and range from cider braised collard greens to peeled jumbo asparagus, sea salt baked potato, herb roasted cauliflower gratin and sautéed baby savory spinach.

A five- and seven-course menu ($85, $110) is also available through Azuréa’s “adventurous palate” dining experience.

Pastry chef Nancy Slatsky’s dessert menu is the perfect finishing touch to the scrumptious meal. The most popular menu offering is the One Ocean dessert sampler available for two ($12) or four ($18) people. This way you can taste several of the desserts at once, only in smaller portions. This was ideal for us as we were full from the exquisite previous courses.

We chose four of the most appealing items on the dessert menu: crème brulee served two ways, mascarpone cheesecake with crushed macadamia nut crust, and the chocolate bonfire mousse. The mousse features several chocolate sticks in the shape of a bonfire drizzled with raspberries. The cheesecake is not your typical piece of cheesecake — this one is surprisingly light, yet full of flavor. The crème brulee is available two ways — caramelized bananas and Tahitian vanilla.

One Ocean’s Azuréa may be the new kid on the block, but it’s quickly becoming known as the place to go for a spectacular meal, excellent service and breathtaking views of the Atlantic. I can’t imagine a more romantic place to spend Valentine’s Day.