Eduardo Valle Lobo and Kelly Jeun came to Boulder about eight years ago to work at Frasca Food & Wine, and now, they’re ready to start something new in the city they love.
“We had no expectations when we came to work at Frasca,” said Jeun over the phone. “After some time we fell in love with Boulder, the clientele, the outdoors, good food, [knowing] where your food comes from, good weather, [and] bars.”
Enter Casa Juani, a Spanish restaurant specializing in what Valle Lobo calls “fun dining,” opening today. The name of the restaurant and a lot of the menu garners inspiration from Valle Lobo’s mother, Juani, and her soulful Spanish cooking. The chef himself grew up in Madrid, and after he and Jeun, who’s from New York, visited the country numerous times, they felt the cuisine was exactly what Boulder needed.
“It would have been easy to do Italian, but we wanted to do something else and explore other areas,” said Jeun. “Spanish food is pretty simple, but there is a lot of depth behind it with sofrito, caramelized onion, and a lot of garlic.”
On the opening menu diners will find a beverage list rich with European coastal wines, and six sections highlighting native Spanish ingredients from the country’s diverse regions. Piki-piki, the tapas most people associate with food from Spain, include jamón Ibérico, Bikini de Gamba, and langoustines. But that’s hardly all Casa Juani serves.
Taking center stage, the marisquería allows guests to watch as chefs prepare raw seafood such as clams and sea urchin. There’s also the pescado side to the menu with cooked fish such as sole and salt cod. Look for a full meat menu too with duck, pork cheek, and large sharable platters of Ibérico pork and dry-aged ribeye. Don’t skip the veggies either, like Frasca, Casa Juani taps into Boulder’s farm culture with local produce done Spanish style.
“We wanted to do something different and focus on great ingredients and seafood and technique, but make it a little more approachable so people could come once a week if they wanted to,” said Jeun, adding it took them two years to find the right space for the restaurant. “We wanted to create something we wanted to eat as diners, and [now] we are filling a void.”
Visit Casa Juani Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations can be made here. 901 Pearl St., Boulder, casajuaniboulder.com
