Old Curtis Street Bar

Kosta Razatos went from trading futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to cooking chiles rellenos at the Old Curtis Street Bar (2100 Curtis Street), and he couldn't be happier. His father, Pete Razatos, who opened the joint back in 1976, had considered selling the place about a year and half...

By Tuyet Nguyen

January 5, 2006

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Kosta Razatos went from trading futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to cooking chiles rellenos at the Old Curtis Street Bar (2100 Curtis Street), and he couldn't be happier. His father, Pete Razatos, who opened the joint back in 1976, had considered selling the place about a year and half ago -- but Kosta wouldn't let him. Instead, Kosta gave up stocks for shots, moved to Denver and has been working hard to give Old Curtis a new face, dolling it up with a fancy floor, a stage and a professional sound system. But don't think that it's been an extreme makeover, because even with the new additions, the bar feels as comfortable and down-home as ever. "I just wanted to help out," Kosta says, "and give this bar what it needed -- a nice boost of youth."

To guarantee that, he's instituted an ambitious weekly lineup that's sure to attract nerdy-cool kids who love not-quite-dive bars. Rotating rock DJs spin on Tuesdays and Thursdays, alternating the last Thursday of every month with Los Comicos Super Hilariosos, an amateur comedy night hosted by Adam Cayton-Holland (of Westword What's So Funny fame). Saturdays are devoted to live music, and booking is wide open; Kosta prefers to focus on local bands, but he hopes to get a few nationals in there. And Wednesdays will soon perk up with Joaquin's Trivia, hosted by Joaquin Curtis (of the now-disbanded mod-rock band The Risk and, before that, ska band The Redemptions). Curtis is calling out the inner geek with themed trivia nights devoted to The Simpsons, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and so on. And for those with social lives, he'll have general music and movie quizzes, too.

Add to the mix a full Mexican menu, a golf arcade game and a jukebox with Led Zeppelin's I, II and IV, and the future's looking bright for the former futures trader. Old Curtis Street doesn't have a website yet, but you can call Kosta for more information at 720-394-1483.

The future's much dimmer for Softcore, the weekly Saturday-night sidekick of Lipgloss that went dark on Christmas Eve at Club Evolution, 821 22nd Street. The night never really caught on at Evolution, and while DJs Michael Trundle and Tim Cook express hopes of taking the gig to a new location or a new night, nothing definite is in the works.

Sometimes it's better to fade away than to burn out.

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