It sounded too, well, romantic. I thought that my friend Tom Golden had embellished a few details when he told me the story about how Jose Alvarez, a cook at a popular Sunset Beach restaurant, became a restaurateur himself.
   
“He was the cook at Harpoon Harry’s,” Golden told me in his smooth Southern drawl. “He worked there for a long time, and he’d bring his boys to work with him to keep them out of trouble.”
   
Alvarez had dreamed of owning his own restaurant. And then one day, he made a deal with the owner of a haunt a few doors away on Pacific Coast Highway – King Neptune’s. Every month, Alvarez made his payments until, seven or so years later, he became the owner.
   
Now, 12 years later, J. King Neptune’s is a family operation. Alvarez is the chef, and his son Juan manages the house with help from siblings. (Go HERE to read OC Menus' review of J. King Neptune's.)
   
The place is wildly popular among locals, who pack the bar every weekend to enjoy live music and sample Juan’s award-winning cocktails.
   
Yet to be discovered is the restaurant operation and Alvarez’s talent in the kitchen. His clam chowder is matchless, his scallops are pure perfection and the Alaskan king crab legs are fresh, delicious and plentiful (1 pound for $55.95 or 11/2 pounds for $69.95 – and that includes bread, soup or salad, veggies, and potatoes or rice pilaf).   
   
There’s simply not enough room here to tell the full story. How Alvarez kept his plan to buy Neptune’s from his sons. (“I heard it through the grapevine,” Juan told me.) How – whether intentionally or not – he groomed his sons to become restaurateurs. How today, as a family, they’re working to grow this tiny gem once known for its collection of military memorabilia into a casual but regionally recognized dining establishment, while still retaining its unique character.
   
It’s a great story. My advice: Go there, take a seat in the dining room and ask Juan to tell you about it.

tborgatta@churmmedia.com