The just-opened Rustica restaurant at Fashion Island in Newport Beach features modern Italian cooking techniques with local California ingredients. Focusing on seasonality, the menu was crafted by chef Grant MacPherson to be shared among friends and family. In addition, Rustica’s wine cave features 100 domestic and European labels as well as 20 options by the glass. Most recently, MacPherson was the culinary director at the world famous Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados.
For ten years prior to that, he was executive chef for Steve Wynn, opening the five diamond Bellagio Las Vegas, Wynn Las Vegas, and Wynn Macau. The accolades don’t end there — MacPherson has cooked several times in the James Beard House in New York, and he was also responsible for Wolfgang Puck’s 50th birthday in Las Vegas. (949/706-8232, www.rusticafashionisland.com) JANE SHIOMI
