RESTAURANT REVIEW BEDFORDS : Seaside Search : The oysters Rockefeller are good, with a dash of Pernod and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Some of us are always out there, searching for a place we just know must exist. It’s a restaurant on the water, alongside a dock, and it has not only atmosphere, but even--dare we dream it?--good food and quality service.

I thought I had finally found this restaurant of my dreams. The Spasiano family’s Bedfords, at the Ventura Harbor, has a gorgeous location. It sits in a complex of boutiques and restaurants, its interior decorated in gentle pastels and its outdoor, covered patio perched just yards from all those gorgeous yachts. I was hopeful.

And if you come here often enough so that you can order just right, you too may be able to tell yourself that you’ve found the perfect marina restaurant. There’s a salad of hot scallops and spinach that makes you realize just how tender and tasty fresh scallops can be. They’re sauteed in balsamic vinegar and lightly cooked. The oysters Rockefeller are good too, flavored with a dash of Pernod and topped with slivers of fresh Parmesan cheese. And a Cajun chicken dish--in what the chef calls a “secret” garlic pecan sauce and a melange of seasonings--came across with all the zest you expect from such a dish. But when you order other dishes on the menu, the dream is apt to fade.

When the chef tried a similar Cajun sauce on prime rib, what I got was a too-charred piece of meat. I sent it back, and it came out of the kitchen a second time with the sauce still charred into oblivion. And good as that hot scallop salad was, the same sort of salad made with hunks of chicken breast and pieces of bacon just wasn’t very impressive; the chef consistently managed to overcook the chicken until it dried out.

And while the service was eager, it was not very professional. The person who waited on us was nice, but managed to spill the broth from the steamed clams all over the tablecloth in front of me. The smile helped.

Still, the yachts out front are gorgeous. It’s a pleasure to see the occasional working fishing boat go sailing past. You can watch passing tourists munch on ice cream cones from the place next door. And you have to admit that this is a lovely spot to sit and enjoy a drink.

But when all is said and done, I’m still searching.

* WHERE AND WHEN: Bedfords, 1583 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura Harbor; 644-3333. Lunch Tuesday-Saturday 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Sunday brunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner Tuesday-Friday 5:30-9 p.m., Saturday 5:30-10 p.m. Major credit cards accepted. Reservations accepted. Full bar. Lunch or dinner for two, food only, $40-$50.