Rustic Canyon — Where the Farmers’ Market Flirts With Your Taste Buds

We’ve been away for a while, but Rustic Canyon reminded us why absence really does make the stomach grow fonder. This Santa Monica staple (open since 2006, because apparently “timeless deliciousness” never goes out of style) is where the Farmers’ Market hands over its freshest goods and the kitchen turns them into edible poetry.

Josh Loeb — you know, the mastermind behind Milo & Olive, Huckleberry, and Sweet Rose Creamery (a.k.a. the man who clearly doesn’t want us to fit into our jeans) — set out to build a place that only cooks with the best seasonal ingredients Southern California has to offer. Mission very much accomplished. Chefs like Elijah De Leon spin that produce into daily-changing menus, because when your pantry looks like the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, you don’t repeat outfits.

The team is stacked: Wine Director Kathryn Coker and Sommelier/GM Lorenzo Reef could pair wine with a Tuesday afternoon mood swing, and Bar Manager Justin Dicken keeps things festive on the cocktail side.

Our dinner started with glasses of NV Pierre Paillard “Les Parcelles” Brut Champagne and Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Blanc Sauvignon Blanc — because hydration is important, right? We warmed up with marinated olives and Parker House rolls slathered in cultured butter honey, the kind of bread that makes you question all your life choices up to that point.

Next came Sonora flour spaghetti alla puttanesca with Pecorino Romano. Fresh, zesty, and a little sassy — basically pasta with personality. Then the prime skirt steak arrived, cooked flawlessly and cozied up with Weiser Farms red shishito peppers and sunchokes. (Note: when peppers from Weiser Farms are on the menu, you don’t ask questions, you just order.)

And dessert? Oh yes, we made room. The choco-flan with Rincon Del Mar Ranch passion fruit caramel was a mic-drop moment — sweet, tangy, silky, and completely unnecessary… which is exactly why we needed it.

Rustic Canyon is more than just dinner — it’s a seasonal love letter to California’s farms and a reminder that when food is this fresh, you can (and should) eat it like it’s going out of season… because it literally is.