The newest restaurant in town recently opened, and after hearing a number of positive comments about their pizza and pasta, I decided it was time for Heather (my trusty tour guide) and me to check it out. Pasta Vino now proudly sits in a space once known as Juanita’s- squeezed between Salt and The Kitchen- and is a nice addition to the west end of Pearl Street. While you’ll still hear some folks lament the closing of Juanita’s, I think after enough hungry diners walk in and satiated guests walk out, Pasta Vino will become another esteemed Pearl Street establishment.
Heather and I sat at the funky, lit-up, striped bar and started with cocktails. We were pleased to learn that Pasta Vino features house-made limoncello, so after asking for a taste, I ordered the West End Moustache- a cocktail with limoncello. Heather went for a barrel-aged gin Last Word. Two excellent choices.
West End Moustache
Barrel-aged Last Word
Pancetta wrapped scallops came next, followed by house made bread and a salad. We also switched over to house white wine.
There’s something on the menu for everyone just as you’d expect at an Italian restaurant- salads, pizza, antipasti, pasta… and Pasta Vino features different specialty pastas each day. We were there on a Wednesday and had the choice of a spaghetti with prawns, a greens-filled ravioli, or vermicelli pasta with pancetta.
I tried the Bucatini and Heather went with the Ravioli. These were two more excellent choices we made that evening… (Maybe Heather and I are on to something here…) After a little freshly shaved parmesan we got to work on our pasta.
At this point, I must dare to say that the pasta at Pasta Vino was perfectly cooked. My vermicelli dish was so delicious that, despite feeling full by the third bite or so, I finished the entire bowl of pasta. Heather’s ravioli were also very well done. The greens for the filling maintained their identity and weren’t some wet mushy mess, and the chef seemed to have finished the dish in the oven because there was a crispiness to the edges not often found on ravioli. After much talk of bringing home the leftovers, both plates were licked clean.
Overall, I highly recommend Pasta Vino and can’t wait to start featuring them on both cocktail and dining tours. In the meantime, check them out and give their pasta a try. I’m already eager to return for another taste of hand-crafted Italian food.
Pasta Vino
1043 Pearl Street, Boulder
303-955-8791