About a year ago in Seaside, I visited a relatively new restaurant in town called Twisted Fish and had an exceptional experience. The service was top-notch, the atmosphere was both cozy and upscale, and the food was outstanding. Executive chef Jake Burden creates mouth-watering dishes with an eclectic feel, using top choice ingredients, including hand-cut steaks, calamari, ahi tuna, oysters and crab legs, plus fresh breads and desserts crafted in-house.

After having such a noteworthy experience on my last visit, I was excited to visit the restaurant again, this time as The Mouth.

Unfortunately, within seconds of being seated, I began overhearing a very loud conversation from three men at a nearby booth, which was extraordinarily crude and peppered with four-letter words. I turned and asked if they wouldnt mind watching their language or keeping their voices down a little. A short while later, one of the men approached my table and began gesturing angrily at me while unleashing a litany of obscenities. In hindsight, I have wondered if perhaps I should have kept mum and just put up with the foul language, but in my opinion, it seemed classless, rude and disrespectful, and I refuse to be bullied into tolerating that kind of behavior in a restaurant or any other public place. Our young server, who looked intimidated and embarrassed, apologized profusely, and I recognize that a restaurant has no control over what its patrons discuss at the dinner table. But my main concern is that I was never approached by an owner, manager or other individual in a position of authority after what was a negative, embarrassing and somewhat scary experience.

But I digress. As for assessing the food, I was impressed with the offerings from Twisted Fish, although the wait was substantial; I noted that from the time I ordered, to the time my first appetizer arrived that 70 minutes had elapsed.

I began the meal with pepper-crusted ahi sashimi with cucumber salad, wasabi, and pickled ginger. I appreciate that the chef prepared a dish that was both so tasty and so aesthetically pleasing at the same time. The dish was plated beautifully and the ahi seared perfectly, still a rich red in the middle.

Equally toothsome were Brussels sprouts sautéed with bacon and shallots and topped with Parmesan and a balsamic reduction. I confess to the chef of Twisted Fish that in the future I will try to replicate the restaurants version of the tiny cabbages in my own kitchen. The bacon lent saltiness while the balsamic reduction was mildly sweet; perfect.

Lemon pepper fried calamari and artichoke hearts with Italian parsley and a roasted tomato coulis was next. For me, the tang of lemon in the breading was not intense enough; calamari doesnt have much flavor on its own, and needs dressing up any time its prepared. The roasted tomato coulis was similar in taste and texture to marinara sauce, and it seemed flat. Punching up the coulis somehow with more Italian herbs would have made the dish, overall, more flavorful.

Next to the Brussels sprouts, my favorite dish of the evening was pan-seared sea scallops with garlic bacon spinach, jasmine rice, lemon-lime buerre blanc and sweet pepper confetti. The buerre blanc, a French sauce of vinegar, shallots, wine and butter, accented the mellow scallops, which were large and cooked expertly, seared on the outside but tender on the inside. Scallops cook very quickly and are often served overdone, so I am always appreciative when they are cooked properly.

A 10-ounce center-cut rib-eye steak, served with mashed potatoes and a medley of vegetables, was the last dish of the evening. Steaks from the rib area of the cow often have a lot of fat compared to other cuts of meat, as the muscles in the area arent overly used, so I was expecting this, but this particular steak seemed overly fat. Still, the meat was delightfully tender, and the accompanying sides, particularly the mashed potatoes, were well prepared and delectable.

Each time I write a review I conclude it with a rating of stars. I wish that in this instance, I could just judge Twisted Fish on my previous visit, prior to becoming The Mouth, which was fantastic, or that I could simply award a star rating for their food alone, which would merit four stars. Unfortunately I am unable to put my negative experience, and the way it was (un)handled by the management, out of my mind, and can only give Twisted Fish three stars.

That being said, I wouldnt hesitate to visit the restaurant again, knowing that the food is quite good and that on a different day, there might be an entirely different (and more positive) experience to be had.