Restaurant Reviews

Chuck & Augie's Perfects College Cuisine

By Joan Gordon
for the Norwich Bulletin

Attending a basketball game on the University of Connecticut campus can present two problems. One is where to park. Student and staff cars usually fill the place, and the campus police are increasingly likely to ticket vehicles parked in various nooks, crannies and other unauthorized spots. Garage parking is available, but it can take forever to leave afterward — not to mention having to pay for the privilege.

The second question is where to eat beforehand. For many, the choice is dining off-campus, arriving close to game time with the more limited parking, or going early and eating on campus.

Recently, we were offered tickets and decided to try the early arrival method. We secured a spot not too far away and hoofed it over to the Student Union, opposite the old Field House. We were meeting friends at the refurbished campus eatery, Chuck & Augie’s, formerly the Nutmeg Grill.

Brothers Charles and Augustus Storrs (hence the eatery’s name) were the original donors of the land, money, building and books to start the Storrs Agricultural College, now the main UConn campus.

We walked down a flight of stairs, turned left and met Toby and Richard in the restaurant’s front, smaller dining room. A larger, more spacious room adjoins it. It was pre-game and the place was packed. The decor is simple, with colorful walls separated by frosted glass panes. Baskets of baguettes and braided breads, purely decorative and lacquered in a mahogany glaze, filled several niches.

The restaurant is a campus-run operation. Beer and wine are served. All the dishes on the menu indicate whether any nuts were used in their preparation. We felt very secure with the astuteness of our waitress, Brianna. She was wonderful.

We started with bowls of chill-chasing chicken Florentine soup. The broth, a tad salty, held chicken, sliced mushrooms, little bits of carrots and chopped spinach. Chicken wings came by the dozen, and in a variety of coatings: Buffalo, honey mustard, General Tso’s and the only one we all agreed upon, BBQ. They were very sticky and sweet, closer to a confection than an appetizer. More crisping would have helped.

Bigger is Better

Huge salads and delectable sandwiches highlight the menu. Judging by the size of some of the portions that resided on adjoining tables, the word “gigantic” would not be out of line. We stared while a single, spicy nacho supreme appetizer was tackled by four students.

Our first entrée was Capelli d’Angelo, a large platter of angel hair pasta topped with chunky tomato sauce and roasted garlic. A light basil pesto, sprigs of fresh basil and shavings of asiago cheese decorated the pasta.

A slice of a really good toasted baguette crusted with parmesan was the highlight of the dish. The other flavors somehow lost their individual characteristics, leaving the dish lacking oomph.

All seven sandwiches on the menu tempted. This part of ordering the meal required our utmost restraint and concentration, since by this time our brains were already fixated on having some UConn Dairy Bar ice cream for dessert.

Stellar Sandwich

Deciding to split two sandwiches, we first picked the all-veggie roasted portobello. A large, toasted, whole-wheat bun surrounded multiple layers of mushroom, between which sat thick slices of creamy mozzarella, sweet caramelized onions and baby arugula. Squirts of a tarragon aioli dressing were evident in every mouthful. If there is a Dagwood Bumstead seal of sandwich approval, it belonged there.

Our second sandwich was made of slices of French bread, grilled and striped on an Italian panini press, encasing tender slices of medium-rare London broil.

Cut-up onions and portobello mushrooms were interspersed with tangy gorgonzola crumbles to make this one stellar creation. Both sandwiches were outstanding. Sides were a choice of field greens with raspberry dressing or potato chips.

We absolutely, unequivocally, without hesitation had to have some of the college’s own ice cream for dessert. It is without a doubt some of the finest and creamiest in the country, and obtainable only on campus (the prepackaged UConn Husky ice cream sold in supermarkets is not the same).

Michael downed a large helping of Jonathan’s Special, elegant vanilla swirled with masses of peanut butter. A slice of Kentucky pecan pie, layered with lots of rich chocolate fudge, was impossible to resist. One too-small scoop of my favorite, coffee ice cream with dark chocolate candy coated coffee beans, accompanied. We crunched away, all the while pouting about the ice cream’s petite portion.

Joan Gordon writes a restaurant review that appears Thursdays. Dining Pleasures, which appears in Sunday’s Living, offers a glance at past reviews. Reach her at joansplate@hotmail.com.