Three Guys from Miami: Miami Spanish Restaurants

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Casa Juancho is located in Little Havana.

Glenn: Cuban food traces its roots all the way back to Spain.

Jorge: The home of our ancestors.

Glenn: In Cuba, the Spanish cuisine was adapted and modified to take advantage of locally available ingredients. The indigenous Indian population, African slaves and even Cuba's near-by Caribbean neighbors also influenced the Cuban cooking style.

Raúl: Occasionally, we like to get back to our roots and eat at a classic Spanish restaurant.

Jorge: Miami has two great examples: Casa Paco and Casa Juancho.

Glenn: Casa Paco is another one of the many gems you can discover on Bird Road. Unassuming on the exterior, it is elegantly decorated inside. Owner Francisco Ambas has created a great atmosphere with authentic Spanish tile work, fabrics, and pottery.

Jorge: Although it is more formal in the evening, casual dress is acceptable at lunch.

Casa Paco's Parrillada de Mariscos (seafood grill) includes plenty of shrimp, scallops and half of a lobster tail.

Glenn: Casa Juancho, run by Felipe Valls and family (owners of Calle Ocho landmark Versailles restaurant and the La Carreta chain), is a place to get dressed up for. It's a classic formal restaurant.

Raúl: Casa Juancho is the place we like to take out-of-town visitors for a very fancy formal meal. It's like stepping off a plane and finding yourself in Spain!

Jorge: Are you a wine connoisseur? They have a huge wine cellar here with many vintage wines from Spain.

Raúl: Casa Juancho is very popular, especially on weekends.

Glenn: Call ahead for a reservation.

Jorge: Both restaurants offer many of the same classics of Spanish Cuisine.

Glenn: Casa Juancho is well known for it's extensive tapas menu. Tapas is a tradition in the major cities of Spain, where people travel from bar to bar eating inexpensive appetizer-size portions of Spanish delights. At Casa Juancho, you can order several items from the tapas menu and enjoy them with your friends and a good bottle of wine. We especially like Casa Juancho's Fabada Asturiana -- very authentic.

Jorge: Another great item on the tapas menu here is Jamón Serrano, Queso Manchego y Chorizo (Spanish ham, sheep's cheese and sausage).

Unassuming on the exterior, Casa Paco is elegantly decorated inside.

Glenn: Both restaurants feature an extensive selection of seafood. Casa Paco's Parrillada de Mariscos (seafood grill) includes plenty of shrimp, scallops and half of a lobster tail.

Jorge: Both Casa Paco and Casa Juancho do a very good rendition of Bacalao, or codfish.

Raúl: At Casa Juancho, it's served on a bed of sweet onions. Yum!

Glenn: You can't go wrong with any of the dishes featuring pargo (red snapper), salmón, or mero (grouper).

Raúl: And at both restaurants, you can enjoy the classic dishes of Spanish cuisine.

Jorge: Check out the Conejo al Jerez (rabbit in sherry sauce), Pollo a la Parrilla (grilled chicken), Cordero Sepúlveda (roast lamb), Chuletas de Cordero (tender lamb chops), and Pallarda de Ternera (grilled veal).

Glenn: Want a real celebration? Order the paella for two or more. We've gone to both restaurants with eight or more people in our party and ordered paella for all. The presentation is great and of course, the paella is delicious.

Raúl: If you still have room after eating all of this great Spanish food, try a dessert.