Authentic fare with retro flare

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers CALIENTE—Owner Alessandra Tromba welcomes customers to the recently opened El Rey Cantina Mexican restaurant on Ventura Boulevard in Old Town. El Rey is one of several new eateries that have opened in Camarillo the past few months. Alessandro Tromba’s fusion of homemade Mexican fare and edgy-retro decor at the El Rey Cantina in Old Town Camarillo looks to be a hit with customers.

Business at the one-monthold eatery has been good despite the economic downturn, Tromba said.

In September, Tromba opened the downtown Camarillo restaurant as a follow-up to the successful El Rey Cantina that he opened in Ventura two years ago.

“Put it this way,” said Tromba, 32. “We wouldn’t have expanded if Ventura wasn’t doing (well).”

Tromba attributes the steady flow of customers to word-ofmouth advertising. His restaurant offers authentic Mexican food, homemade sauces, salsa and corn tortillas at reasonable prices.

“I don’t know where else you can eat for less . . . I mean a good quality meal,” he said.

The location also helps. California State University Channel Islands is close by and will contribute more customers as it grows. Also, redevelopment of the downtown area is transforming Ventura Boulevard into a destination spot for locals. Tromba pointed to the popularity of JJ Brewsky’s restaurant and the retro-soda shop, Rocket Fizz.

“I’m really excited,” said Tromba, who grew up in Camarillo. “Obviously people believe in Ventura Boulevard, and I think that the more unique businesses open here . . . the better everyone is going to do.”

El Rey brings its own personality to the boulevard. The bar features 100 types of tequila and the decor pays homage to both Elvis Presley and Mexico of the 1950s and 1960s.

A floor-to-ceiling bar features a neon-lit skeleton with an Elvis hairdo and above it is a collection of velvet Elvis paintings.

Tromba calls the restaurant’s decor “Tijuana Chic.” It is fun and funky.

El Rey includes high-back red leather booths and a decoupaged wall of more than 1,000 posters advertising Mexican movies of the 1950s.

The posters are originals provided by a Guadalajara antique store owner that Tromba met during his travels in Mexico.

“It really creates a cool visual effect from far away,” he said.

Tromba followed his father into the restaurant business. His father once owned four chain restaurants in Ventura County. The elder Tromba sold two of the restaurants and renamed the third Bistro 13, in Camarillo’s Mission Oaks area.

In 2005, Tromba became a partner with his father in the fourth restaurant. They called their downtown Ventura eatery Table 13.

In 2006, father and son sold the business, and the following year the younger Tromba opened El Rey Cantina in downtown Ventura.

Tromba’s recipe for success—small, manageable restaurants that offer tasty, homemade fare at reasonable prices—has kept him in business despite a sour economy.

The most expensive food item on the Camarillo menu is grilled salmon with chipotle sauce and fajita vegetables for $12.50.

“We think that tells us we’re onto something,” he said.

Only one month old, the Camarillo El Rey Cantina already has regulars.

Laura Kelley, 27, eats here once or twice a week with her 5year-old son Tristen, who likes to hear rock ’n’ roll music from the old-fashioned jukebox.

“It’s just a fun place to hang out,” Kelley said on a recent Thursday afternoon. “You can bring your kids.”

Tromba said now that he’s established the El Rey Cantina brand—a fun, hip place to eat that serves great food—he’d like to open other restaurants.

El Rey Cantina, 2302 Ventura Blvd. in Camarillo, is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to midnight and serves a full menu until 9 p.m. Tacos are served until closing.