Manufactured Eats

In the heart of the sizzling Art’s District in Downtown Los Angeles, a 90 year old warehouse is all abuzz with the latest offerings of sophisticated Italian fare. Close by, Bestia– LA’s it restaurant-of-the-moment- just may have some competition  as The Factory Kitchen is getting a lot of attention since its opening last October…and rightly so. An informal trattoria with formal northern Italian cooking, The Factory Kitchen is a collaboration between two friends with stellar pedigrees in the culinary world. Italian-born restauranteur Matteo Ferdinandi- a business partner at Celestino Drago with prior stints at Spago and CUT- and chef Angelo Auriana- having commandeered the kitchen for 18 years at the acclaimed westside restaurant Valentino, and who was last spotted at Farina in San Francisco- took the name from the street and residence the restaurant is located on, Factory Place Arts Complex- a live-work building.

The 3,000 square feet space is urban casual, with industrial details such as concrete surfaces, reclaimed wood tables and garage doors. The unfinished ceilings, bare walls and minimalistic decor is in sharp contrast to the sophistication and seriousness of the food, not to mention the stellar service. Fresh, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients lend to the delicious yet unfussy dishes such as sliced prosciutto- that’s aged 24 months- seared swordfish, peperu- soft cheese stuffed inside sweet and spicy peppers- hearty handmade pasta, and thinly crusted focaccia. With so much chatter these days about the new gilded age of Downtown LA and GQ Magazine declaring it America’s next great city, I would happen to agree they’re on to something, as the booming restaurant scene that includes The Factory Kitchen is about as major as it gets.  www.thefactorykitchen.com