News In Brief : Setback for Puck Eatery

In a setback to chef Wolfgang Puck, restaurateur for the rich and famous, the Los Angeles City Council’s Planning and Environment Committee voted 3 to 0 Tuesday to recommend denying a city permit to sell alcoholic beverages at Puck’s proposed “micro” brewery, beer-tasting bar and restaurant on Bundy Drive in West Los Angeles.

One of Puck’s business partners, Andrew Hoffman, said later that it is “very unlikely” that the business would open without a permit.

The committee suggested rejecting the project because of complaints from the predominantly Japanese-American neighborhood, whose residents fear that the 214-seat business in a warehouse will draw too much traffic, attract noisy, drunken patrons and create parking problems.

The matter will come before the full council within the next three weeks.