On the site of the late-lamented Sputnik Cafe in Crownsville, Lures has created an ambiance that is quintessentially light and breezy. Gone are the whimsical touches from before and in their place are airy blues and cool sandy hues, comfortable yet attractive furniture and a decor that brings the outdoors inside.

Owner-Chef Chuck Soja gives all credit for the interior design of Lures to his wife Jill. Her instincts and decisions regarding the major transformation of this restaurant were all spot on, and the resulting space feels both inviting and casually sophisticated.

Landscaping is another of Jill Soja's talents and the outdoor patio, once the home of Sputnik's fanciful sculpture garden, has been reborn as a stylish adjunct with a compelling mix of decorative grasses and plants. Unfortunately, the delightful caprice of Sputnik's "waterfall" and "stream" didn't make the cut when the transition was effected.

I already had heard good things about Lures from several sources before my first visit there, and it certainly lived up to its advance billing. Ready to settle in for a leisurely meal and a catch-up visit, we decided to order a bottle of wine. A little over a dozen choices are included on the Lures wine list, but our attention was immediately drawn to one of the reds. Even though we weren't familiar with it, we decided to take a $29 leap of faith and order a California red called Menage a Trois. We were most pleasantly surprised and ended up thoroughly enjoying a wine that we had only ordered for the joke value.

Beer drinkers will revel in the choices available at Lures. Prices range from $3.50 to $7 for a pint-sized draft, and labels like Beamish and Otter Creek and Lagunitas are sure to warm their brew-loving hearts. Lures is particularly proud to offer Resurrection, a beer so esoteric that only a few watering holes are chosen to serve it. There is even a waiting list of bars and restaurants hoping to be considered for offering Resurrection.

Liking what we had seen so far, we were eager to get started sampling the food. There's a short list of appetizers, but nothing run-of-the-mill - even the nachos and steamed shrimp have an interesting twist to their respective preparations. We reluctantly opted to leave the fried mushrooms until a future visit, and settled instead on the wontons stuffed with spicy cream cheese and the chunks of fried rockfish.

Jalapeno Rangoons ($9) are fried wontons that have been filled with a mixture of jalapeno-studded cream cheese and served with a piquant plum dipping sauce. Only good friends such as we would be so gracious as to make sure the crispy little treasures were evenly distributed, foryour inclination is to grab up the platter and shout, "Mine, all mine!"

As tasty as the first appetizer turned out to be, the Rockfish Bites ($13) were even better. Pieces of fresh rockfish are beer-battered and fried to perfection, yielding a greaseless and crunchy exterior giving way to the succulent rockfish interior. Dipping sauces included conventional versions of tartar sauce and cocktail sauce as well as more of the spicy plum dipping sauce. So far, Lures was batting 1.000.

The list of sandwiches is appealing, especially the veggie sandwich with organic baby spinach sauteed with onions then served with melted havarti and tomatoes; and even the slate of burger candidates is decidedly non-pedestrian with its some of its offerings being Kobe burgers and bison burgers. We were, however, drawn to other sections of the menu on this particular occasion.

One diner was in the mood for the spinach salad ($9) and the other decided on one of the Lures signature dishes, Sausage, Sauerkraut and Perogies ($12).

The former had plenty of tender fresh baby organic spinach, crisp bits of real bacon, sliced mushrooms, slices of hard-cooked egg and a yummy hot bacon mustard dressing.

The latter managed to prove that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The delightful dichotomy was that this dish, which promised to be heavy and filling, was as light as could be. The sausage, lean and savory, was grilled nicely and served with sauteed onions and sauerkraut. My sainted grandmother would not like to hear this, but the sauerkraut at Lures is better than the sauerkraut in her kitchen.

And the perogies. There are almost as many spellings for this little dumpling as there are fillings and preparations. Usually associated with Poland, they are definitely Slavic in origin and come across as being like little Slavic ravioli. The unfortunate truth about most perogies is that they are essentially leaden. These, however, are so light they would float off the plate were they not anchored by the sausages. We would have lost serious money on a bet that said you could dine on sausages, perogies, onions and sauerkraut and not feel full and yukky.

When you have a streamlined (tending toward minimalist) menu, it behooves you to do everything well. If what we had is any indication, Chef Soja accomplishes that with flying colors. The same menu is offered for lunch and for dinner; and in addition to the sections with starters, sandwiches and burgers, there are eight entrees running the gamut from pasta to filet. The Rockfish with Citrus Cream Sauce ($20) sounds like a winner for the next visit to Lures.

We shared an order of wicked chocolate cake ($5.49), savoring every bite, and looked forward to trying their Smith Island Cake ($6) next time. (It's always nice when a meal is so enjoyed that you look forward to your next visit.)

There are a lot of things at Lures that will keep you coming back. All the food is wonderfully fresh (they don't even own a freezer), the presentation is most attractive, and the service expert. One thing you'll remember about your visit to Lures is the little signature Goldfish cracker that adorns most dishes that come out of the kitchen. That idea, courtesy of friendly General Manager Mike Wiland, shows that Lures can have its whimsy, too.

What with live music (no cover) nightly Wednesday through Saturday, happy hours early and late (4 to 7 and 10 to midnight) Monday through Friday, and super food washed down with designer beer, it's apparent that Lures is pulling out all the stops to lure you in and get you hooked.

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Terra Walters is a freelance writer and editor based in Annapolis.