Permit Them to Introduce Themselves . . .

Provided their final permits come through, Jean-Louis De Mori and Antonio Tommasi of Locanda Veneta will open Ca’ Brea, their second restaurant, in three weeks. Located on the site of the late Robaire’s, the rustic Italian restaurant will seat about 80. Upstairs there are banquet rooms with their very own kitchen. “Everything is ready to go, hopefully there will be no major problems and we will get the permits,” says Tommasi. “We are keeping prices low: Appetizers will be around $5, pastas will run between $7 and $8, main courses between $9 and $13.”

PUCKMANIA: Don’t tell Wolfgang Puck we’re in the middle of a recession. He plans to open his fifth restaurant in late June or early July in Malibu. Backers of the 160-seat restaurant include such Malibu locals as CAA honcho Michael Ovitz and comedians Bob Newhart and Don Rickles. Although the construction work on Granita is almost finished, Puck is being typically vague about the menu. What he will say is that it will be a sort of Mediterranean/Italian cuisine, and because of the location, the emphasis will be on fish and seafood. Chefs Kevin Ripley, who cooked at Spago and was sous chef at Eureka, and Joseph Manzare, who also cooked at Spago and was opening chef at Postrio, will share equal responsibility. Ripley and Manzare are about to take a trip to Italy, where they will eat for inspiration.

BREAD AND BUTTER. Bread lines are forming on 3rd Street in Los Angeles--but they don’t have anything to do with a recession. Indigo Restaurant’s owners recently opened Breadworks, a wholesale and retail bakery. In addition to the restaurant’s signature herb bread, Breadworks features rustic French, six-grain honey-walnut, rosemary onion focaccia and assorted specialty breads. Breadworks is located at 7961 West 3rd St., four blocks east of Indigo.