Since late last year a banner announcing the pending arrival of Tuli Bistro has been draped high across a building rising on the northwest corner of 21st and S. So far, the restaurant hasn't materialized, but the owner/chef, Adam Pechal, is sounding confident that he will have it open around the first week of May.

It will be small and cozy, but intimacy is high on Pechal's list of design criteria. To that extent, he is laying out much of the seating along the cooking line, so guests will be able to watch and chat with cooks in the style of sushi bars and oldtime diners. "I'll be right back there cooking, and customers can order direct from us or talk with us about the menu," says Pechal, a 1997 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, N.Y. Since then he's put in stints with Bistro Don Giovanni and Bouchon in Napa Valley and at such local restaurants as River City Brewing Co. and Esquire Grill. He's also been catering.

Though Tuli will be a bistro, Pechal isn't locking himself into French cookery, or any other specific cuisine, for that matter. "My cuisine will be all over the place, but without being obnoxious," he vows.

"Tuli," he notes, is a Latin verb with several meanings, including "to bear fruit, to bring to the table, to carry, to lead, to command."