While fireworks were blasting and Champagne glasses clinking on New Year's Eve, Factory Kitchen was turning out its first plates of short rib agnolotti and gnocchi with braised rabbit in Las Vegas. The Downtown Los Angeles import, created by restaurateur Matteo Ferdinandi and chef Angelo Auriana, recently opened on the Venetian's Restaurant Row, joining Yardbird, Delmonico, Chica and Sugarcane.
Named for its original location in a former factory area in L.A.'s Arts District, the restaurant's menu in Las Vegas is true to its Italian focus, with small plates of cheese-stuffed peppers and roasted beet gratin followed by handmade pastas and heartier dishes.
The pasta station, visible inside the restaurant, turns out handkerchief pasta draped in smooth basil pesto, olive-specked pappardelle dressed with pheasant sugo and tortellini filled with 18-month aged Prosciutto di Parma. Among the entrees are baked turkey meatloaf with peppers and onions and slow-cooked pork belly with sauteed aromatics.
The Factory Kitchen is currently serving lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information or reservations, visit venetian.com.