“When we first opened Lure here,” said David Cortina, who owns the small but fiendishly popular chain of seafood restaurants that just arrived in La Cumbre Plaza, “I felt like a kid out surfing and here comes a tidal wave. Ahhh!”
The opening, a few days after Christmas, came none too soon for folks used to driving down to Camarillo or Ventura for their fresh-fish fix. The debut was widely rumored and then delayed, Cortina admits, not by zoning and code problems, but because he and his spouse, Patricia Cortina, kept reworking the design. He knew the wait wasn’t sitting well here and feared repercussions, which came in a funny way. “I was working just before we opened,” said David, “and this guy comes up to me and says, ‘You the boss here?’ I said, ‘Yeah, sort of.’ Then the guy says, ‘Can I tell you something? My wife and I planned to have our rehearsal dinner here last year. And now we’re divorced.’” Cortina felt bad, but the guy was laughing.
You may wonder why Lure Fish House inspires such ardor, why its guests seem more like fans than customers. The original Camarillo place was eureka-like, perfect for a refuel on a midday drive to Los Angeles or to crown a return trip, right off the freeway and near the Camarillo IMAX movie theater and outlet stores. But it was more than convenient. Lure serves great fish — fresh and cooked to sweet perfection — with absurdly good sides included for about the same price you would pay for just the halibut (or sea bass, or sand dabs, my favorite) at any other nice fish joint. All the Lures are bright and bustling, the staff efficient and the kitchen fast. And now it’s here.