The Bennett family makes opening a restaurant look almost easy.

Almost.

John Bennett, an owner and operator of Brophy Bros., was jubilant last week, joking and laughing heartily in the final hours before opening the family's second seafood restaurant, this one at Ventura Harbor Village.

"It's just food and beverage — it's not brain surgery," Bennett said.

And it certainly helps to have one successful restaurant already doing business. In 1984, the family opened Brophy Bros. in Santa Barbara.

The new 4,500-square-foot restaurant is like the original Brophy's on steroids, said Bennett, a Santa Barbara resident. Vaulted ceilings make the restaurant appear much larger than the popular venue in Santa Barbara, although it's not.

The patio overlooking the harbor is several times larger than the one at the original locale, with space to seat 90 people.

Its modern, up-to-date "industrial marine"-meets-"traditional New England" appearance doesn't take anything away from "vintage" Brophy Bros., Bennett said.

When they were talking about opening another location, Bennett and his family tossed around several cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.

They chose Ventura because the marina with the local foothills behind it is almost a mirror image of the first location, said James Manar, Bennett's brother-in-law. Also, staying local would allow them to use the same vendors.

Formerly Hornblower's Restaurant, the location on Spinnaker Drive had to be completely gutted to the raw cement and wood studs, Bennett said.

Hornblower's closed in March 2006 after the Ventura Port District terminated its lease because the business didn't make timely payments, said Iris Austin, property manager of Ventura Harbor Village.

Austin said she's expects that Brophy Bros. will bring many visitors to the harbor.

Since signing a 20-year lease eight months ago, Bennett said there has been very little stress or problems. They didn't run into any issues meeting building and health code requirements. There were only minor unforeseen surprises and expenses.

Excitement was high in anticipation of opening night July 20, with kitchen staff bustling and construction workers fastening on handrails and completing final touches.

The menu items are value-based, Bennett said. Dishes start at $5.95 and increase to $20, for halibut or swordfish.

"You could be a billionaire or you could be a student and eat well here," Bennett said.

Besides seafood, the restaurant serves hamburger, steak and chicken, but no vegetarian meals.

Bennett and others who operate the restaurant believe in "hands-on management," meaning that they don't mind getting their hands dirty. On any given night, Bennett can be found bussing tables, shucking clams or even washing dishes, as he did last week during three test runs, when he treated subcontractors, friends, family and staff members to dinner.

"If there was anything that makes this successful, it's that you're not bigger than anyone else," he said.

Bennett, 36, started as a busboy when he was 12. Ever since, he couldn't get enough of the business.

"I was born in the kitchen and raised in the bar," he said.

His mother, Sue Bennett, had always hoped that Brophy Bros. would expand, and was thrilled when her son and Manar decided to open another restaurant. She's taken a backseat role in the new place, offering financial support, but letting the second generation make the decisions.

"I'm so proud," she said. "They all stepped up to the plate, and they did a phenomenal job."

On the Net:

www.brophybros.com