A star is born . . . at Rocca

Her flavors are bold, unusual, and strikingly combined. There’s nothing crazy — this is just real food, influenced by modern Italy — but there’s also nothing you’re going to see on other menus around town.

Faison uses fresh herbs liberally, which steers many of her dishes in the direction of light and refreshing. A main course of lobster panzanella features pieces of claw and tail meat and grilled hunks of bread over tomato sauce, topped with bountiful sprigs of oval and Genovese basil, parsley, and chive blossoms. Crispy fried artichokes are dosed with garlic, lemon, and mint. Tiny eggplants marinate in a sweet-hot-sour vinaigrette made with reduced balsamic, red onions, and chilies; mint and basil offer contrast. A dish called “summer melons’’ is a plate of juicy cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon; the creamy fresh mozzarella called burrata; and mint, basil, and fragrant lemon balm. It’s so simple and lovely.

Fruit appears in quite a few savory dishes. A cooling crudo of Cape scallops is served with grapefruit and horseradish. Asparagus comes with farro, green grapes, and arugula, in a shallot-honey dressing. Pork is smoked and braised in rich stock, vinegar, and sugar, accompanied by grilled black plums and peaches. The night we try it, the fruit is hard and the flavor of the pork is overwhelmed by the mustard and ginger in the sauce. (Meat dishes aren’t always the equal of pasta, vegetables, and seafood at Rocca. Spiced lamb loin arrives on the raw side of rare, after our server fails to ask what temperature we’d like it. But Faison does work magic with a tough piece of steak — cooked slowly for three hours, the top butt cut becomes marvelously tender and flavorful.)

But perhaps the most unusual use of fruit is in a dish of whole wheat tagliarini. The long, thin pasta is tossed with Parmesan, Meyer lemon, blueberries, and mint. The tart fruit, earthiness of whole wheat, and umami-laden cheese combine to make something surprising and delightful.