A Lure

A Lure hooks you fast.

Here's the summery heir to The Seafood Barge, a landmark for decades. Now, ever-roaming chef Tom Schaudel and restaurateur Adam Lovett, who operate A Mano in Mattituck, take over. Jeff Uguil of A Mano heads the kitchen.

And the team has come up with a noisy, flavor-packed seafood-and-chowder house that updates a classic theme and provides you with a handsome waterside perch for first-class fish and shellfish.

Bay windows look onto the Port of Egypt marina. A wraparound deck seats 100. Inside, the hue also is blue, the double-side fireplace ready and the long bar busy.

A boulder near the entrance sports a faded message from the late Armando Cappa, who opened the original "barge." You may recall his big ad, featuring a 33-pound lobster.

You'll definitely remember A Lure.

THE BEST

First: savory corn chowder, Manhattan-style clam chowder and Tom's spiced-up gumbo ya ya, each a big mouthful.

Steamed manila clams arrive in a zesty broth sparked by chorizo. Bay scallops from Peru star in a terrific seviche spiked with lime and chilies, served in a halved coconut, sporting a sail of fried plantain. A lobster defines A Lure. Have one perfectly steamed, in a mild "knuckle sandwich" lobster roll, enriching a dish of penne with tomato, basil and corn. Spaghetti with crabmeat, sea urchin and tomato stands out, too. A special of pan-seared Montauk bass, with lemony risotto and cherry-tomato marmalade, rivals it. Dessert highlights: Catapano goat-cheese-and-ginger tart; a warm plantain spring roll; strawberry shortcake; the "chocolate bag," Schaudel's signature packaged sundae.

THE REST

Satisfactory potato-crusted cod, pan-seared diver scallops, fried oysters, beet salad, Key lime pie.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Catch of the season.