Restaurant opens for business

By: Emily Butterfield

Posted: 3/14/05

Chuck and Augie's will have it's grand opening inside the Student Union Monday when the restaurant opens its doors for full hours of operation, according to Dining Services manager Scott Harmon.

To date, the restaurant has served lunch only, Harmon said. Starting today, the restaurant will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. Students can use points after 2 p.m. during the week and all day Saturday and Sunday, he said.

"It assures the ability of the students to use the restaurant," Harmon said.

The menu consists of mainly appetizers, desserts, sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes, Harmon said. Although they kept a few Nutmeg Grill favorites, such as the Cobb and Caesar salads, the Harvest Turkey Sandwich and the Southwestern Black Bean Burger, the menu has been updated with "many new and exciting items," he said.

The menu also features six beers and 10 wines, according to Harmon. For a limited time, customers will be able to order wine from the Storrs Winery in Santa Cruz, Calif. The owners, Stephen Storrs and Pamela Bianchini-Storrs, are direct descendants of Charles and Augustus Storrs, the benefactors of UConn and namesake for the restaurant, he said.

There will also be a late night menu available, according to Harmon. It has many items from the main menu as well as specialties not on the regular menu, like Husky's Breakfast Burrito, Champion Fajita Burrito and Jonathan's Supreme Waffle.

"Our late night menu is a streamlined version of our main menu," Harmon said. "It contains a few exclusive items with the after dinner guest in mind."

The menu will be shaped to the needs and wants of customers, Harmon said.

"As we see which dishes take off and which aren't popular, the menu will evolve," Harmon said.

Harmon said the restaurant will soon offer a weekly "Chef's Creation" in each menu category which will feature special appetizers, entrees and desserts. This will keep "adventurous palates happy," he said.

"There are two types of customers, one who loves the menu and keeps coming back and one who gets bored with the menu if you don't change it," Harmon said. "We're planning on and will strive to do the best we can to keep everyone smiling."

They also have ideas for special events and theme nights, according to Harmon. Although there are no definite plans yet, they are considering guest chef nights as well as a wine and food pairing night.

"There are a bunch of different ideas out there," Harmon said. "We just didn't want to bite off more than we could chew."

Harmon said they have had positive feedback to the menu so far from lunchtime customers. The restaurant was busy over Spring Break with 101 visitors Wednesday and 109 visitors Thursday, more customers than a "good day at the Nutmeg Grill," Chuck and Augie's Manager Roselyn Lamont said.

"I had to use my waiting list both days," Lamont said.

Lamont said "everyone's been raving" about the dessert du jour, Kentucky Pie.

"The Kentucky Pie is like a warm toll House cookie with pecans," said Jessica Ciccarelli, a 2nd-semester business major and Chuck and Augie's waitress. "It's really good with vanilla ice cream."

Harmon said he expects to see combined business from the movie theater as well as Gampel and Jorgensen events. The restaurant is more visible than the Nutmeg Grill to potential customers, including students. They are next to the movie exit on the first floor instead of "hidden on the second floor," he said.

"I'm hoping more students will come here now," Lamont said. "I think more will realize that we are here."