Live on the Lawn Returns to Fashion Island This Summer

Fashion Island is bringing back one of Newport Beach's most beloved summer traditions. For six Saturday evenings this season, the Neiman Marcus-Bloomingdale's Lawn transforms into an open-air concert venue for Live on the Lawn, a sunset music series presented in partnership with ETA Presents.

Running June 13 through Aug. 1, the series features an all-star lineup of Los Angeles jazz musicians who have performed alongside Aloe Blacc, Jason Mraz, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Legend and Kendrick Lamar. Each night kicks off at sunset, with a relaxed coastal atmosphere that makes it easy to settle in, sip something cold and let the music do the rest.

Grab-and-go picnic meals and refreshments are available for purchase from Bloomingdale's 59th & Lex Cafe, Mendocino Farms and Scratch Bakery Cafe. Reservations are required and can be made through Eventbrite.

Here's a look at the full 2026 lineup:

June 13: A Tribute to Dr. Lonnie Smith Organist Wil Blades honors the jazz legend alongside guitarist Jeff Parker, who recently toured with Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and percussionist John Davis.

June 20: Danny Janklow + Elevation Band Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Danny Janklow leads this funk-and-jazz ensemble, joined by John Davis on drums and Cooper Appelt on bass.

June 27: Millstone Reverie with Adam Levy and Molly Miller Two formidable jazz guitarists team up for a blend of Americana and modern jazz. Miller serves as principal guitarist in Jason Mraz's touring band; Levy has recorded with artists including Tracy Chapman.

July 18: Alex Schwarz Trio Bassist Alex Schwarz leads one of the LA scene's most inventive trios, with Horace Bray on electric guitar and Anthony Fung on drums, performing original compositions and modern jazz improvisation.

July 25: A Tribute to James Williams Drummer Shawn Baltazor draws on deep New York jazz roots to lead an all-star quintet celebrating pianist James Williams, with Sam Brash on piano, Jameel Robers on saxophone and Brad Williams on electric guitar.

Aug. 1: Daniel Rotem Quintet Saxophonist Daniel Rotem closes out the series with a quintet featuring Kellen Harrison and Jonathan Richards on bass, Nicole McCabe on saxophone, Juliet Knowles on trumpet and Jonathon Pinson on drums, performing both classic standards and original works.

For tickets and more information, visit FashionIsland.com.

INI Ristorante Rolls Out a Summer Menu Worth Clearing Your Calendar For

If you haven't been to INI Ristorante lately, the new summer menu is a good reason to go back. The Fountain Valley restaurant has built its reputation on a kitchen that thinks in both Japanese and Italian, and the latest seasonal lineup shows exactly why that combination works so well.

New this season: the Crab Roe Spaghetti, layered with crab roe emulsion, brown butter crab, dehydrated tomato, and stracciatella. It's rich but not heavy, which is a hard thing to pull off. The Miso-Glazed Black Cod comes over soba noodles in mushroom dashi broth with bamboo, frisee, and ponzu vinaigrette, and the Mixed Beet Salad with Meyer lemon vinaigrette, goat cheese, fennel, orange, and spiced seed mix is the kind of thing you'll order every time.

For something more substantial, the Pork Tomahawk with bacon jus and sweet potato puree has you covered. And don't skip dessert: the Blueberry Pavlova with passionfruit, mascarpone, graham crumble, basil, and crisp meringue is the right way to end the meal.

The cocktail list got a summer refresh as well. The Old Fashioned Kei features Kei Concepts Woodford Reserve, Japanese whisky, sansho pepper, and amaro reduction. The Ember and Bramble goes reposado tequila, mezcal, Japanese oak liqueur, and blackberry shrub. And the Sakura Sour brings together Japanese vodka, sakura, thyme, and egg white. Also new: a Lychee Spritz with elderflower and Okinawa juice, and the Dolce Saturno with Nikka gin, passionfruit, strawberry, and lemongrass orgeat.

The timing is worth noting. Kei Concepts founder Viet Nguyen was recently named a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: California, a Pacific Southwest finalist for EY's Entrepreneur of the Year awards, and received both the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award and 2026 Chef of the Year honors from the Orange County Business Journal. A big moment for a restaurant group that has earned it.

INI Ristorante is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday.

16129 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley. (714) 277-4046

The Curated Life Brings French Charm to Laguna Beach

Three years in the making, The Curated Life Shoppe quietly landed in Laguna Beach this past April, and it was worth every moment of the wait.

Owner Michelle Trotter spent years traveling to France, handpicking products on each trip and putting them into storage until she found the right space to present them. She was specific about what that space needed to be. "I just knew that the base of the interior had to be white to highlight the beauty of each product," she says.

The result is a boutique destination filled with one-of-a-kind home goods, tabletop pieces, textiles and lifestyle products sourced directly from France and across Europe. Think French turbans, scarves and velvet pillows, hand-painted pillows, beach towels with matching duffle bags, Turkish towels and robes, wine glasses, 24-karat gold-rimmed cups and saucers, and soaps that might just replace your entire skincare routine.

The products have stories behind them, and Trotter sought them out intentionally. As she traveled and sourced, she listened for the makers who lit up when they talked about their craft. It was almost always women. "It wasn't just trial and error," she says. "It was apprenticeship and intention in crafting."

Two items have her particular attention. Her favorite beach bag and weekender, available in shades she calls mango and mojito, comes from a small-shop artisan in Toulouse who has scaled to meet growing demand without sacrificing quality. Then there are the soaps from Marseilles, which she stocks because they transformed her own skincare routine. "Allow such an indulgence without the flight to France," she says.

Trotter's love affair with French culture started in her teenage years, flipping through fashion magazines and gravitating toward the avant-garde color and design of the 1980s. Decades later, she traded holiday gifts one year for a family trip to Europe and never looked back. The experience became the foundation for her future travels, friendships built across the Atlantic, and eventually the inspiration for one of her children to settle in Paris permanently.

What she brings back from France is harder to bottle than any product. "When in France, I am always at peace, moving quietly, absorbing the ease of the people around me," she says. She describes sitting in a friend's brasserie, watching regulars place a coin on the counter each morning without a word, just a nod. That kind of easy exchange is the spirit she's after at The Curated Life.

Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday. 

The Curated Life is at 1540 S Coast Hwy in #104 Laguna Beach. 949.818.5433