Tulio’s set to open in Wilton Manors
Brian Parenteau’s Mexican restaurant looks ready enough to open tomorrow, but he’s not about to risk turning the new Tulio’s Tacos & Tequila in Wilton Manors into a potential COVID-19 hotspot.
“We’re really hoping COVID cases decrease and that we go deeper into tourism season,” Parenteau told the Sun Sentinel on Monday. “The last thing we want to do right now is jump the gun.”
For now, Tulio’s – which Parenteau describes as featuring “sexy, complex and fun Mexican food” – is tentatively set to open in mid-September at 2150 Wilton Drive, on the ground floor of the Gables Wilton Park apartment complex. The 4,000-square-foot eatery comes from Parenteau and business partner Douglas Herbst, who also operate
DrYnk Bar and Lounge on the Drive.
Tulio’s had been scheduled to debut this spring until the new coronavirus pandemic scuttled those plans. The past four months has done little to boost Parenteau’s confidence amid statewide restaurant lockdowns, half-empty dining rooms and rising COVID-19 cases. By September, he hopes
dining rooms will be safe enough to welcome back snowbirds in the fall.
The menu at Tulio’s 220-seat taqueria (120 indoors, 100 patio) is still being finalized but will include 12 varieties of tacos, plus burritos and salads, and 100 exotic tequilas and mezcals served behind an L-shaped, redwood oak bar.
Tulio’s Tacos is the namesake of executive chef Tulio Alas, an El Salvadorborn chef who cut his teeth in the kitchens of Big City Tavern and Grille 401, both on Las Olas Boulevard, and until recently Beach House Pompano. As a beverage director at Grille 401, Parenteau befriended Alas.
In crafting the menu, Parenteau and Alas visited dozens of Mexican restaurants from Jupiter to Miami for research, drawing inspiration from places like the high-end Bakan in Wynwood (their personal favorite) and the glitzy Cantina La Veinte in Brickell.
“Tulio is pretty stoked his name is on the business,” Parenteau says of Alas, who’s listed as a manager but not a co-owner, according to state public records. “He’s a little untested but he’s so passionate about his job, just absorbing anything and everything he could learn.”
When Tulio’s opens it will feature a dessert and happy hour menu, with weekend brunch to follow this fall.
Tulio’s Tacos and Tequila