Restaurant Reviews

Chuck & Augie's Offers Great Fare

by Katherine Brazaukas
"The Daily Campus" Focus section

Does the thought of another dining hall meal make you feel literally sick to your stomach? The utilitarian process of grabbing a tray and joining the long line of fellow diners is mundane and usually ends in a stressful haze of trays, silverware, and spilled drinks.

On Tuesday, I left the stresses of South behind to dine at the newly established Chuck and Augie's eatery located on the first floor of the Student Union. A bit apprehensive about the dining experience, I decided to invite my friend along for the venture. Self-proclaimed culinary connoisseurs, we ventured into the new dining atmosphere together. When entering Chuck and Augie's, we were instantaneously greeted by friendly and attentive servers, clad in clean cut, blue UConn uniforms that matched the skillfully folded napkins. The restaurant décor is a fusion of Californian deco with an art nouveau influence, which made the experience comfortable and laid back.

The food was delivered promptly and was cooked to perfection. The extra garnishing showed attention to detail while helping enhance the flavors of the main dish. The quality and quantity of the food was well worth the price or points. Chuck and Augie's offers a diverse bill of fair ranging from specialty salads, such as "Classic Cobb Salad," paninis like "char-grilled London Broil and Gorgonzola," fresh pastas and more.

The meal can be concluded with a wide variety of desserts including UConn Dairy Bar ice cream. If you're craving a dessert that's not present on the menu, Chuck and Augie's will aim to serve, proudly stating, "If you have a favorite, let us know and we will try to offer it on occasion as one of our specials."

Our server, 5th-semester HDFS major Elleni Hrampanis, was attentive throughout the course of the meal and when questioned, she said she enjoyed working at Chuck and Augie's because of its upbeat atmosphere. Although only one other guest was seated in the front room, business was "better than I thought," said Hrampanis.

At first, my dining companion and I were skeptical of the new eatery - we noticed some restaurant rudiments were lacking such as background music, patrons and the hustle and bustle of a usual dining room, but the qualms were put to rest when we spoke with Marc Holland, an 8th-semester economics major and the assistant manager of Chuck and Augie's. He assured us that within a few weeks the restaurant will have all the major fundamentals diners have grown accustomed to. Satellite radio will be geared toward the clientele and surveys will be conducted regularly so customers can give feed back to the management. Holland reiterated the fact that the restaurant, "is for the students" and will cater toward the needs of its patrons. Chuck and Augie's lived up to its self-proclaimed mantra of "a gathering place" appealing to all.

I strongly recommend Chuck and Augie's as an oasis away from the day-to-day dining hall meals. It offers hearty food and a calming atmosphere, which allows all UConners a chance to escape the rigors of daily campus life for a few hours. I look forward to the ongoing maturation of this soon to be "hot spot."