Chuck's Steakhouse By Barbarie's — Restaurant in Danbury

Tonight I had one of the best supper club experiences I've had in a while. I booked a random hotel in Danbury, Connecticut; I got room 123. I walked into the room, opened the blinds and immediately noticed the restaurant across the parking lot, Chuck's Steak House. (My dads name was Chuck) Obviously I was going to go. I walked up to the Cedar shake sided building immediately transending me to memories of my families supper clubs.

I walked into a line of about 9 people waiting to be seated, I couldn't wait. I snuck to the front just prospecting the spot I wanted to sit, only to see the place bustling, wait staff dressed up, bartenders entertaining a full bar, and an atmosphere that felt like the perfect combination of all three restaurants I mentioned above. I was seated at a 2 top high top between the bar, dining room, and lounge, very close to the front door. I sat at my table listening for about 45 minutes before I even looked at the menu. Observing everything, hearing the host greet people at the door, managing the flow of the restaurant, and guide the staff through the rush. I immediately knew he was the owner simply from remembering how my mom and dad navigated so many of these busy nights my whole life. I had to meet him.

His name is Tommy, I was right, he is the owner. Tommy owned 5 restaurants through Covid and navigated the best he could, but lost his entire life savings. He sold 4 restaurants but kept Chuck's since it was his most profitable, just so he could get to retirement. Tommy tragically lost his father many years ago when he was 19 (I was 16 when I lost mine). Tommy also tragically lost his wife 7 years ago, she was 63;(my dad was 62). Tommy floated through his restaurant. Singing, humming, heckling his friends and family (customers), filling water glasses, bussing tables, watching everything that was happening. The customers sat up a little bit and showed a little excitement when Tommy touched their table.

I ordered Chuck's Surf and Turf, and added the Chuck's style toppings. It came with the salad bar which was located in cozy wood fire warmed dining room. I went back to my table and might have shed a tear or 2 while I remembered the first 30 years of my life in the restaurant industry. My tears quickly dried up when my perfectly cooked surf and turf meal showed up, garnished with fresh parsley, and a 1/4 slice of lemon. I can't tell you how many pieces of parsley, lemon, kale, and orange slices I prepared for garnishes from the age of 5 - 15, but its definately in the 10s of thousands.

This industry can truly take it all from you, but it can also give you so incredibly much. One of Tommy's comments summed this up so simply "I lost everything through COVID, but I'm building it back through this restaurant."

Thanks Tommy and team for giving me exactly what I didn't know I needed tonight. Please remember so many out there are still recovering from so many things lost during the most turbulent times in our...

This is my kind of place. My mother and I stopped here for a late lunch this past Saturday afternoon. I stumbled across this establishment a few months ago when I was looking for possible Thanksgiving Eve locations, and while this didn't "win" on that particular day, it was still on my radar. As we were being led through the restaurant to our table, I remarked that this felt like the steakhouse cousin of a Pizza Hut, which I absolutely meant as a compliment. It's very comfortable, with a dark, woody interior that I typically associate with a place from the 70s or 80s that your grandparents loved back in the day. (I say this as a geriatric Oregon Trail millennial that spent many an hour watching old school Nickelodeon in a wood-paneled basement.) So while I suspect a lot of interior updates...haven't happened in decades, if ever, some places can thrive in their time warps and this is certainly one of them.

I wasn't paying or driving in the near term, so I opted for a vanilla Moscow Mule to whet the palate. Pretty tasty, but difficult to discern much of a vanilla taste. I'd probably venture further into the cocktail menu next time.

I also wasn't in a red meat state of mind (and yet I went into a steakhouse; I know) and went with the Baked Stuffed Scrod entrée, which had crabmeat inside, along with a baked potato. It definitely hit the spot. My biggest potential issue with crabmeat is that it's going to have a bunch of other crunchy stuff in it like celery and onions, but if they were hanging out in there I didn't notice. Good texture/consistency. Scrod isn't necessarily the most flavorful fish (probably not a coincidence they stuffed it), but it's a perfectly fine complement to other items, which is what they did here. It was swimming in a LITTLE too much of its juices, unnecessarily dampening the bottom of the fish, but still a solid contributor.

The service was okay. Our waiter was pleasant but there were a few small items that slipped through the cracks. For instance, I asked for a water with my mule (stay hydrated, kids, or at least make a valiant attempt to do so), and didn't get it. I had to procure one from a subsequent server who came by with the food. Since mules are basically glorified albeit naughty Ginger Ales, it wasn't the biggest deal in the world. I don't recall having to wait a particularly long/noticeable time for any of the ordered items, either.

This may end up being the Thanksgiving Eve destination in 2023 - low-key, comfortable environment with legit food. And as a bonus, they seem to have a chocolate truffle station at the front? This checks off an awful...

Great food in a comfortable quiet atmosphere. Top class service and produce. My only critique would be the marinara sauce was too sweet. Otherwise 5 out of 5.

Update as of 6/18/24 - Under new ownership, have gone here for over 30 years and always had a great experience, some thing have changed. Pros: still has a cool dark/romantic atmosphere and quiet dining experience. The waitstaff was on point, our entrees were perfectly cooked(fish n chips, filet mignon and a cheeseburger) Cons: I can't say I noticed anything new added aside from maybe a mixed drink. I tried the frozen margarita that was near 15 bucks and it was an abomination compared to what I assumed would be a similar type of margarita that I've got from Texas Roadhouse for half the price, which is an awesome drink every time. This had no fruit no flavor and brown color. The bread at the salad bar was extremely sub par compared to what they used to offer, every family member that has gone lately made the same observation. The salad bar itself was similar to the past aside from one of the two lettuce options which was either not iceberg, or was a bad batch. I think it's my first theory, since it was more fibrous and less crunchy than iceberg. Also, they removed raisins and added craisins to the salad bar which (raisins) were one of my fav toppings. Going to desert, I was displeased to see that they no longer had a chocolate truffle bar, as a coffee and a truffle was a perfect wind down to dinner. I tried a brownie with some vanilla ice cream, it was ok, just a bit mediocre. I think the new owners should breath some new life into the bar, with some proper good frozen mixed drinks. Maybe some espresso. Keep it a fancy and romantic atmosphered restaurant, but take some of Texas steakhouses quality and better bar options, and this place could kill it. I want them to succeed, but the core of chucks needs to stay the same as it was, especially for the price. I went to Texas Roadhouse on fathers day, 7 people, all got entrees, shrimp and filet mignon , huge tasty fruity fresh margaritas, 2 beers, 4 sodas, hot bread and it was 250 without tip, 3 people at chucks 2 days later, 160 before tip. Adjustments def needed, I hope most things can be fixed over time with...