SEASONED COLORADO RESTAURATEUR DEBUTS NEW BOULDER OUTPOST

Picture this: you’re walking through the front doors of Stella’s Cucina. You are greeted by a hallway, where, as you make your way down to the lobby, you reach a hidden bouncer behind a window in the oak wall who checks you in. A secret door opens, revealing the interior, where the host then takes you down the dim corridor into the dining area. As you step inside, your senses are met with the aroma of fresh Italian cuisine wafting through the air and the sight of an interior unlike anything else in the city complete with curved ceilings, a sleek, modernized style, and an inviting ambiance. This is the experience Stella’s Cucina owner Stella Spanu seeks to deliver.

The fine dining restaurant recently opened to the public and claims to be a modern twist on authentic Italian cuisine with the intention of creating a feast for the senses. Its unique design and sense of culture allow it to stand out among other restaurants in Boulder, particularly with the speakeasy concept which, according to Spanu, “incorporates art, music, design, and of course, premier service.”

Spanu comes from a family of restaurateurs with a rich background in authentic Italian cuisine. This is ap- parent in the menu, which was created with fresh ingredients and traditional dishes in mind. Many of the products used are sourced from local Colorado farms, others imported directly from Italy, for a largely farm-to-table dining experience. The pastas are made in-house as well to provide the most genuine Italian experience possible. Spanu noted: “that this stays true to how Italians eat, and offers a way of eating that is both clean and simple by cooking with the right techniques and the freshest ingredients— that’s true Italian.” continued on page 126

Some of the menu’s highlights include their Tagliolini All’agnello, a house-made pasta with a lamb ragu sauce, the Mar Tirreno, seared octopus with spicy tomato sugo sauce, and the Spigola al Forno, a wholeroasted seabass which is said to be flown in from the Mediterranean three to four times per week. In addition, they offer vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options as well. The wide variety of dishes from all of various regions of Italy help Stella’s Cucina stand apart from standard Italian restaurants while honoring Spanu’s heritage.

By Parker Shatkin