StarBulletin.com

Harbor Court Bistro denied license again


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POSTED: Saturday, October 11, 2008

The Honolulu Liquor Commission on Thursday denied Harbor Court Bistro's appeal of an earlier decision denying it a permanent liquor license.

“;We were pleased with the ruling,”; said Suzette Nasser, a director of the Harbor Court owners' association. “;We never objected to the restaurant. We could not accept the nightclub activities where her patrons spilled out into our home with the behaviors that were happening.”;

Residents complained of vomit and urine in common areas, among other things.

“;The noise level from the DJ music, the bass part of it, vibrated up 20 stories through the building and we can't live with that,”; Nasser said.

Harbor Court Bistro owner Elizabeth Hata Watanabe said the now-fired contractor hired to promote grand opening events drew the wrong crowd to her restaurant.

She applied for “;just the standard restaurant license,”; allowing for music and dancing until 2 a.m., but said the restaurant didn't stay open that late.

Watanabe filed a motion for reconsideration with the commission yesterday through attorney Michael Green.

The commission was earlier presented with a petition from 73 percent of area residents opposing the license, that by law prohibited the commission from considering Watanabe's application.

Green requested time to investigate the validity of registered voters' signatures, as well as whether some were misled about what they were signing, but the commission rejected the request, hence the new motion, Green said.

Watanabe invested nearly $500,000 in the restaurant.