’Tis spring, and the young diner’s thoughts turn to thoughts of restaurants with ocean views. So Narragansett’s Coast Guard House is bound to be considered sooner or later. On Ocean Road next to the arched Towers, jutting out into the ocean is the former US Life Saving Station that was long ago turned into a restaurant landmark.

When the weather gets warmer, the place to be is the upstairs deck, which is canopied like one of the ladies with parasols who promenaded Narragansett Pier a century ago, before all the grand hotels, one by one, burned down. There’s weather to worry about, too — hurricane season. A plaque indicating the 1991 Hurricane Bob high-watermark is near the ceiling in the L-shaped dining room, which gave even remote tables a view of the water (diving ducks and a barge in far-off fog, during our visit). The décor is walnut trim, contrasting with the granite-block inner walls, with fresh flowers gracing every table.

As for our visit, first the positive part: very good Rhode Island clam chowder, for instance. It was rich with chopped clams and clam stock, and pleasantly seasoned. There also is a white version, plus the restaurant’s signature crab-stock bisque, which I remember enjoying on an earlier visit. All are $4 for a cup-size bowl. Other starters range from a Sicilian eggplant bruschetta ($7.75) and pan-fried calamari ($7.50), to clams casino ($9.50) made with dainty littlenecks.

We had the steamed littlenecks ($9.50), a half-dozen tender morsels swimming in an abundant tomato and saffron broth, slightly hot from cayenne, which was good for dipping the table’s French bread. There were four of us, so we also shared tastes of a warm spinach salad ($7.50). Delicious. Drenched in olive oil and raspberry vinegar, with roasted red peppers and toasted walnuts, its gorgonzola and apple-smoked bacon were on the side, as we’d asked.

Listed as entrée specialties were a half-dozen items that included paella for one ($22) — which too often is offered only for two, because of preparation time — and crab cakes ($18). Enjoyed across the table was a gratin dish of fat baked sea scallops ($16.75), flavorful in its wine and garlic-butter sauce, with a tang of lemon. Inhaled by a young man visiting Brown for a chin-pulling tour was linguine with clam sauce ($14), cooked past al dente, but in a velvety white wine sauce.

Johnnie chose the wild salmon ($19). It was pan-seared and served over sautéed leeks, with a creamy walnut dressing on top. Three asparagus spears framed the fish, and a tasty tumble of fried sweet potato strands were to the side. Both she and one of our dining companions wanted the fish to be fresher, though — a particular concern with salmon, which turns into another, albeit edible, animal when it’s been out of the water too long. The same was true of the four jumbo grilled shrimp that accompanied my tenderloin tips ($24), which I’d wished had that sea-taste I order them for. The beef, however, was excellent, tender and, as requested, rare. Instead of baked potato, I had the vegetable of the day, zucchini and summer squash, which was uneventful, although – thankfully — not steamed to death.

Though none of the desserts are made there, and the Toll House cookie pie ($5.95) lacked ice cream, the latter was quite yummy. We could also have shared carrot cake, Boston cream or apple pie or Oreo cheesecake.

That’s what I wanted to take away, the memory of delicious tastes. Unfortunately, the terrible service was hard to forget. After waiting a half-hour to order, we drummed fingers for another 30 minutes before asking our waitress what was keeping the appetizers. "It takes a couple of minutes," she perkily informed us. A few minutes later, we were served. Count us thankful that no one had ordered their signature Maryland-style crab cake appetizer ($8.50); someone at the next table had sent his back because it was still frozen in the middle. After having to repeatedly re-request a soft drink, and being ignored when I asked, loudly enough to be heard, for plates to share the spinach salad, I wished I’d had a flare gun (for rescue, for rescue).

This wasn’t a matter of one anomalous server, judging from the friendly bus boy who also forgot a request for water, and a prior experience with poor service years before. The earlier problem involved a hostess abandoning her post, so we’re evidently talking management not making service a priority. A good waitstaff should not be a problem at a high-tip restaurant like this one. It’s not difficult to get honest feedback about it during their trial period — simply ask trusted regular customers to speak frankly. A restaurant unwilling to go through the trouble because they’re selling view more than service should be overlooking Central Park.

Bill Rodriguez can be reached at bill@billrod.com.