How much pasta can we possibly  eat? How much antipasti? How many cannolis can we shove in our pie-holes? A lot, apparently. Italian is one of those cuisines that Americans never tire of, and it seems there can never be too many Italian restaurants. But in L.A.'s recent history of restaurant openings, Italy practically dominates. 

It might have started with Bestia, which opened late 2012. Then, of course, we all salivated with anticipation until Bucato opened last August. Since then, we've had Scopa, Rao's and a new location of Terroni. In November, Al Bacio opened on Sunset, albeit replacing another Italian spot, Osteria Drago. Josef Centeno's newest spot, Orsa & Winston, claims Italy (along with Japan) as a culinary inspiration. 
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And one of the most impressive of our latest crop of Italian spots is Factory Kitchen, which, like Bestia, is located in downtown's Arts District. It's the subject of this week's restaurant review, and its early success goes to show that we'll probably  never tire of handmade pasta and crispy focaccia. 

This Italian boom shows no signs of slowing: The latest addition to the Santa Monica Pier is an Italian spot called Ristorante Al Mare. The old Mezze location is being converted to an Italian place called The Nice Guy. The owners of Barbrix and Cooks County are opening an Italian spot in Atwater Village. I could go on…

For the time being, we hope you'll read our review of The Factory Kitchen, and we also hope it provides some guidance as to where your attention might be focused when there's so much new Italian to choose from. 

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