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Barito Tacos & Cocktails is opening in Port Jefferson, serving up authentic Mexican food and more on Main Street.
Barito swings open its doors for dinner at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, and again Sunday, Dec. 10 in the old Arden space above Starbucks.
They will be closed Monday, Dec. 11, and open for good Tuesday. From there, Barito will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
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It’s been a two-month project for ownership, at team that includes Steven Scalesse, David Prunier and Sean Nolan from the highly regarded Tullulah’s in Bay Shore.
The crew is rounded out by Matt Murray, one of the original owners of Public House 49 in Patchogue.
“We’re definitely happy and surprised at how fast we were able to get in here and get open,” said Murray. “We’re just excited to bring a nice shot in the arm to Port Jeff.”
That shot in the arm will also come in the form of DJ-spun music on Saturday nights and live music on select Fridays.
Interior design efforts were led by Nicole Scalesse, Steven’s wife.
To transform the old Arden, they painted with whites and colors to brighten the place up, ripped out the old banquettes in favor of bench seats, and re-tiled the big center bar.
Long Island tattoo artist Nick Razzano also came in to paint an Aztec dragon mural that can now be found throughout the restaurant, from the dining area to the kitchen.
Barito seats about 130, along with some counter room.
There’s six TV’s behind the bar.
The owners did about 80 percent of the work themselves since taking control of the space in late September, Murray said.
“It’s been a lot of hard work and teamwork to get this done in eight weeks,” he said.
Barito can be reached at 631-828-8808.
Check back with GreaterPortJeff for full details on the Barito menu.
PRIOR COVERAGE:
L.I. restaurateurs team up to bring Barito Tacos & Cocktails to Port Jeff
