Casa Juani

Photos Courtesy of Elite Focus Studio

Hello my fellow foodies and welcome back. Boulder has a new restaurant, and I was waiting patiently for it to open.  Casa Juani opened about a month ago on Pearl St. Chefs Eduardo Valle Lobo and Kelly Jeun have opened their dream restaurant. Named after Eduardo’s mother, his “North star” Juani, Casa Juani pays homage to her with family recipes accompanied by the couples’ travels inside of the coastal areas of Spain. With the menu sourced from three different regions of Spain, Casa Juani is certain to become a big player in the Boulder culinary scene and beyond.

Casa Juani is a bright, minimalist restaurant with the kitchen as its centerpiece. The bar sits separated from the restaurant a bit and is also a standout at Casa Juani so arrive a bit early for your reservation to experience that as well. But as usual, I was hungry, so let’s eat!  

On the night that we were there, Chef Eduardo was slicing the famous Ibérico Ham to order and rolling the delicacy to tables to explain just how special the ham is.  We got a lesson straight from Spain on the origin, and the tedious process that Ibérico ham goes through to get onto your plate. If you have never had a taste of Ibérico Ham, it melts in your mouth, and don’t leave Casa Juani without ordering some. The Croquetas De jamon were another don’t miss at Casa Juani.  There are meant to share, but to be honest, I wanted to be a bit selfish and keep them all to myself.  It was like a letter from Spain on a plate. If you are looking for something completely different, you must try the Atun Blanco.  The tuna, with kumquat, gordal, and piparra was a bite that you don’t want to miss at Casa Juani.  Any of the Spanish ingredients can be explained to you if you want some information about the dishes you are dining on, but we just went with the flow. For our main entree, we shared the Lomo Bajo.  The New York strip steak was heaven on a plate. It was not a complicated dish but was executed to perfection. They have a rotating fish entrée depending on what is fresh, and it looked delicious coming out of the kitchen being served to other diners. There are many Spanish wines on the menu and cocktails to compliment your choices for your dinner.

When a lot of love goes into your food, it pours out tenfold onto your plate.  I have said it many times, but it rings so true for Casa Juani. So much passion and thought goes into every bite, that it will make you come back for more time and time again.  Until next time my fellow foodies, eat well, drink well, and be well.