Pyott’s Victory Lap; New at Modo Mio; Just-Right Joyce

You heard it here first back in November, when the Insider picked up on vibes that Actavis PLC might take the Allergan name once it got its deal for the Irvine-based drugmaker done. Actavis confirmed as much last week (see story, right), when the value of the cash-and-stock buy rose past $71 billion. Consider the respect shown for the Allergan brand—along with the hefty price tag—among the many reasons Allergan CEO and Chairman David Pyott deserves a victory lap of sorts before what’s expected to be his final shareholder meeting. He’ll get something along those lines with an upcoming talk he’ll give on how he “transformed a small eye care business into a company with leadership positions in six medical specialties and over $6 billion in sales.” That’s on tap for the Legends & Leaders luncheon of the Irvine Chamber of Commerce at Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine & Cocktails on March 6. Visit irvinechamber.com for details … The new face at Modo Mio will be no doubt be familiar to some at the Crystal Cove restaurant, which is now owned by Phil Crowley, who managed Five Crowns for many years, building up the Corona del Mar mainstay’s internationally acclaimed wine cellar before a promotion took him to the corporate level for Pasadena-based parent Lawry’s Restaurants … If the beef is from Japan, the lobster is from Australia, the salmon is from Alaska, the caviar is from Israel, and the wine is from Bordeaux—then the invitation must have come from Joyce Tucker. Word around Linda Isle says she outdid herself with her 10th annual Valentine’s party. The buzz brought especially high marks for its “Pocket Full of Love” invitations, complete with red pocket squares for gentlemen, who all complied with Tucker’s all-elegant-all-the-time standard … Expect a few new degrees of elegance at The Resort at Pelican Hill. The Insider hears Borgomastro Giuseppe Lama has some changes in mind at the slice of Tuscany he oversees along the Newport Coast. Don’t expect too much tinkering with the sense of style that has won the place plaudits as a top destination for visitors from around the world and a reputation as a cornerstone of the surrounding community, with its restaurants, spa, golf course and various programs available to the public. Look for a more intimate feel in commons areas, along with other twists and treats for menus and programs to appear with little fanfare over coming months … Quite a parade of Republican presidential hopefuls around here lately, with New Majority hosting a panoply of the party’s hopes in the past few weeks. The GOP’s 2016 range has run from second-timers Rick Perry of Texas and George Pataki of New York, the Bayou State’s Bobby Jindal, face-of-the-future Marco Rubio, out-of-the-box Ben Carson, and establishment favorite Jeb Bush. Those last three all are from Florida, by the way, where battleground status apparently breeds ambition … Equal time: You would have thought Sen. Dianne Feinstein was a Republican based on the reception she got when she shared keynote duties with Western Digital boss Steve Milligan at last week’s annual dinner of the Orange County Business Council. Mark it as a vote for pragmatic politics over ideological standoffs.