Kai Oliver-Kurtin | Downtown News

It’s truly a family affair at the new Allure restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter. Located just east of Horton Plaza, it opened March 30, and is a collaborative effort of the family that refers to the restaurant as their second home.

As guests arrive, Executive Chef Melissa Magallon treats them to an amuse-bouche, a single bite, to whet the appetite and set the tone for what’s to come. Magallon’s parents Luis and Ofelia are co-owners and also her business partners. Magallon’s longtime boyfriend, Carl Nakouzi, is the general manager, and responsible for training staff members to treat guests like they’re part of the family.

“This isn’t our restaurant face, this is who we are,” Nakouzi said. “We treat people coming into the restaurant like they’re coming into our house.”

Nakouzi and the Magallon family carefully selected the Allure staff from more than 800 applications received, and today, that staff shares a family-style meal together before opening for business every day. That’s because, according to Magallon, “A happy, well-fed staff makes for good service.”

Though they dreamed of opening their own restaurant someday, Magallon and Nakouzi never thought it would happen so quickly. Nakouzi spent time working in restaurants during the couple’s college years at San Diego State University, and after graduation, Magallon was inspired to enroll at the San Diego Culinary Institute after watching the popular Bravo TV show Top Chef.

Through the school’s externship program, Magallon began working at The Oceanaire Seafood Room in 2009, where she met Top Chef alumnus, Brian Malarkey, who handpicked Magallon a year later to be a sous chef for the opening of Searsucker, the first of his group of popular, fabric-themed restaurants. She later worked in the kitchens of Malarkey’s Herringbone and Burlap restaurants before branching out on her own.

Magallon’s father Luis, a businessman with his own hopes of opening a restaurant, seized the opportunity to purchase the Fourth Avenue space last year when Bandar Restaurant vacated. Luis still handles business operations at Allure, including payroll and finances, while mother Ofelia took the lead on interior design during the complete renovation of the kitchen and dining spaces, selecting the decor, furnishings and lighting. Her elegant, feminine touch even shines through in the pristinely chic restrooms at the restaurant.

Just one month into business, Nakouzi and Magallon are pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response they’ve received from guests so far, including a few new regulars.

Billed as “New American” cuisine, the menu at Allurecontinues to expand as Magallon experiments with new dishes. She describes the menu as “seasonal, playful and flavor-packed.”

She said her focus is on the artistic, creative side of cooking with an emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients from farms and farmers’ markets.

“There’s something for everyone,” Magallon said. “I want to be able to cater to anyone, so I have all kinds of protein, several seafood dishes, and vegetarian options on the menu.”

Allure offers happy hour specials, a full bar menu and outdoor patio seating. Music videos are played in the upstairs lounge area, a space that can be reserved for private parties, movie nights or sporting events.

Open for dinner daily, Allure is located at 825 Fourth Ave., Downtown. For more information, visit AllureRestaurantSD.com.

—Kai Oliver-Kurtin is a local freelance reporter who also works full-time doing social media marketing for the U.S. Navy. She enjoys covering events, restaurant news, culture and entertainment. Contact her at [email protected].