I toured Italian Kitchen this afternoon. The newest restaurant of the Glowbal Group will launch on August 30th following a swish shindig for players, food nerds, media and testosteroids of every stripe and pickle on the evening previous. Ryan Gauthier was cooking up a storm in the already finished kitchen, a broad pan of lamb cheek papardelle making the still very much unfinished room smell not a little race ready. Take a sneak peak after the jump…

Above is a quick glance at the main floor bar. Behind the sheet is the kitchen that runs almost the entire length of the bar.

This is the top floor floating bar. Behind it are a thirty foot wide mountain of boxes, and behind them are a semi-private room and floor to ceiling windows that open up to Alberni.

I was glad to see it coming along. I’ve been looking forward to this one the most (out of twenty-five some odd restaurants this summer), not only because I’m a big of the modern Italian concept, but also because managing partner Rob Byford and executive chef Ryan Gauthier have made at least a thousand meals between them for me when we all worked together at the Beach House. I’m not playing favourites or anything, but I’ll be bumfuzzled if everything about it isn’t impressive.