RESTAURANT REVIEW : Go for Eye-Popping View, Not the Food at Dockside Terrace : The minuses begin to accumulate when it comes to meals and service.

My significant other believes that there is an inverse ratio between the quality of a restaurant’s food and the altitude of the establishment. Consequently, we avoid all dining rooms on the top floors of buildings.

After eating at Dockside Terrace in Westlake Village, I’m adding a corollary to that maxim: Beware of places with eye-popping views.

The commodious terrace portion of the restaurant overlooks the jewel-like Westlake Lake, and before sundown, I’m mesmerized, watching boats bobbing on the azure water and later seeing the reflection of twinkling lights from the homes across the lake. Other pluses include a delightful jazz pianist on the weekends and the rustic decor’s overall cheery ambience.

The minuses start to accumulate when it comes to food and service.

On my first visit, I was lulled into expecting a good meal by a nice order of steamed clams ($10.95) served in a winy broth, five firm giant shrimp ($7.95) accompanied by a tangy cocktail sauce, and tasty large mushrooms ($4.95) sauteed in garlic, wine, lemon juice and scallions.

Intimations of disaster loomed with an appetizer combo platter ($6.95), which contained greasy battered zucchini, listless fried mozzarella and vapid potato skins filled with Cheddar cheese, bacon and scallions.

On another occasion, we split a vegetarian pizza ($8.95) as an appetizer and ended up with cardboard-like crust topped with tasteless artichoke hearts, cheese, onions and tomatoes. It was boring enough to put a pizza lover to sleep.

While the Caesar salad ($8.95) had good ingredients, including three big sauteed shrimp, all was drowned in too much creamy dressing.

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Having tasted the pizza, I should have known better than to order pasta. Fettuccine festooned with chicken and broccoli ($13.50) congealed into a soggy lump under an Alfredo sauce reminiscent of cheese-flavored glue. It was as if someone in the kitchen had something against Italy.

A rack of acceptable New Zealand lamb ($19.95) tasted only of its unctuous mint glaze while a tender filet mignon ($20.95) lost its flavor to a salty whiskey peppercorn sauce. Sauteed jumbo shrimp ($19.95) would be fine cooked alone in a spicy oil, but this dish was also ruined by a goopy Chardonnay tarragon sauce.

On a later occasion, I wisely ordered the poached filet of salmon ($18.95) with the creamy dill sauce on the side; the fish was moist and tasty, allowing me to ignore the dill preparation entirely. And a side order of hot garlic toast ($3.50) was excellent with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.

The only dessert made on the premises is the creme brulee ($4.95), which tasted more like flan. The chocolate cake and various flavored cheesecakes ($5.25) all come from the Cheesecake Factory, which does a consistently good job in the sweets department.

The serving staff seems to be poorly trained and somewhat indifferent to the needs of the customer. Mix-ups, such as receiving rice with my entree after I specified a baked potato, happen frequently.

But the real humdinger was when our server cleared a plate of oyster shells and carelessly let oyster sauce drip into a half-filled glass of Merlot. It was a scene out of a Marx Brothers comedy. Groucho would’ve raised his eyebrows while Harpo might have blown his horn.

My final advice: You’ll do best if you order everything with the sauce or dressing on the side . . . and watch your server like a hawk.

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DETAILS * WHAT: Dockside Terrace.

* WHERE: 32131 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village.

* WHEN: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

* COST: Meal for two, food only, $50 to $85.

* FYI: All major credit cards accepted; full bar.

* CALL: (818) 707-9378.