Rustic Urban Gastro-Pub: The Buzz on The Curtis Club

Last November, The Curtis Club opened its doors as an Old West-styled gastro-pub with a contemporary, locally-sourced menu. But is the restaurant's new American cuisine overshadowed by its surrounding decor --barn wood walls, tractor-seat stools, sparkling chandeliers and wagon wheels? Find out now with the early word on the Curtis Club.

The Anticipation News: During the Curtis Club's round-the-clock construction, Cafe Society spoke with musician-turned-restaurateur/owner Scott Bagus and chef Eric Johnson about sustainability, local music and embracing vegan-friendly menus. [Cafe Society]

The From Run-Down To Rustic News: Eater Denver shared an look at the restaurant's interior, which was transformed from dingy sports club (that of former beloved watering hole Curtis Street Tavern) to urban-rustic. [EDen]

The Antique Hipster News: Among 34 reviews on Yelp, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. While the hipster meets antique meets rustic interior appears to be polarizing and service is still ironing out the wrinkles, the food is consistently cited as worth coming back for. [Yelp]

The Home Sweet Home News: The Curtis Club recently appeared on 5280 Magazine's list of best new restaurants. Upon initially walking through the doors of the modern western space last November, 5280 food editor Amanda Faison felt right at home. The restaurant will surprise you with its keen eye for design and even keener sense of the culinary arts, according to Faison. [5280]

The Neighborhood Gem News: The Curtis Club has 132 reviews from OpenTable diners, who have seen fit to grant the restaurant an average rating of 4.1 stars. The reviews most frequently mentioned positive attributes include fit for foodies (91), neighborhood gem (61 mentions), and hot spot (42 mentions). [OpenTable]

The Hot Metro Mountain Lodge News: The Curtis Club made Zagat's list of the 8 hottest restaurants in Denver and Boulder on the strength of chef Eric Johnson's farm-sourced contemporary cuisine,' as well as its 'mountain lodge meets metro lounge design. [Zagat]

The Wild, Wild West News: Not to be outdone, Cafe Society deemed the Curtis Club worthy of its ten best new restaurants in Denver for 2013. Amid hundreds of restaurants opened in metro Denver last year, the Curtis Club made its mark with cedar-fence wood walls and horseshoes hanging from the tin ceiling, all of which transcends kitsch and ultimately rings true to Colorado heritage. [Cafe Society]

The Feisty Happy Happy News: Feisty Spirits gave a shout-out to the Curtis Club on its website, which included mentions of the restaurant's rustic-chic design elements: wagon wheel accents, deer and antler wall paper, and an antique jukebox, to name a few. The Feisty folks also recommended the sweet bread corndogs—described as nuggets of happiness—and the Table of Never-Ending Happiness, a handcrafted tasting for six or more people. [Feisty Spirits]

The Welcome To The Club News: The Curtis Club was added to the Eater March Heatmap, where it joined the ranks of the hottest restaurants in Denver's ever-growing food scene. [EDen]

The Praise Be Hashtag News: Twitter is singing the praises of The Curtis Club. @sharwrkmom declares Good Lord people. If you haven't eaten here fix it!, while @noeldolangd proclaims major #foodie love at new Mile High eatery @TheCurtisClub. Delicious #cuisine. [Twitter]

The Portion Vs. Price News: The lone 4-star review on Google states the food and experience are good, but dings the Curtis Club for kinda small portions for the price. [Google]

The GET EXCITED! News: Over on TripAdvisor, one reviewer found her large party's experience disappointing, but others were much more enthusiastic, including one apparently exhilarated diner who titled the review EXCELLENT! and described the meal as AMAZING. [TripAdvisor]

— By Jeff Jenks

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