Downtown’s Officine Brera Won’t Fire Up the Grills Until Sometime in 2016

A delay for the upcoming Arts District stunner.

The plans for Officine Brera in the Arts District have always been a bit ambitious, but it seems those lofty goals have come at the expense of time. Initially given a March 2015 arrival date, the meaty Italian offering subsequently landed a debut date for early fall, but has now been delayed once again.

The latest timeline puts Officine Brera into January 2016 or thereabouts. It’s not hard to understand why: the sister restaurant to nearby The Factory Kitchen is going all-in on not only redoing their massive warehouse space, but also bringing a unique brand of Italian plains protein cooking, done over live fire.

Owner Matteo Ferdinandi is partnering up with Angelo Auriana, designer Christopher Mercier, and beloved chef Mirko Paderno to bring the former 1920’s warehouse to life, including private dining spaces, patio seating, a bar, and loads of banquettes. The kitchen acts like a theater inside, with nearly everyone getting a shot of the flat iron grills and wood-fired dome ovens from their table. Food wise, Officine Brera still has plans to do large-format plates comprised of seasonal vegetables and lots of animal protein.

Look for Officine Brera to come to life sometime in early 2016 — ideally by January, when the cold nights and rainy days could make the Arts District restaurant quite the warming destination.

Source: LA Eater