Honolulu Weekly

Chuck’s Cellar / Of all the things Chuck’s Cellar does right–and there are too many to count in the 50 years since Chuck Rolles entered the restaurant business–a good place to start is with the seating. Chuck’s polished wooden zig-zagging bar is lined with stools that not only have sturdy backs and cushy padded seats but they swivel, too–a rarity in this era, to say the least. And in a way, they sum up the whole experience, a perfect blend of comfort and quality. It’s the vibe that Rolles was going for when he opened his first restaurant, originally just down the street from today’s Ka’iulani Avenue location, in 1959.

“Stupidly simple, right?” laughs Scott Rolles, Chuck’s son and the current owner, of his dad’s approach. “That’s sort of the original idea that my father had when he started the thing. He wanted to have good quality food but not in a stuffy, uncomfortable or intimidating atmosphere.”

Educated at Cornell University’s renowned hospitality management school, Chuck Rolles was inspired to open a restaurant that went against much of what he had learned about the presumably divergent relationship between quality and comfort. Although he is retired and living in Colorado, Chuck’s Cellar still achieves the balance he intended. The underground restaurant–at its present location since 1972–was previously a storage room for the hotel above. It’s small and warmly lit with brick walls and deep brown puffy booths. It’s so cozy in the windowless little cave that it doesn’t take much imagination to pretend a winter storm is raging outside, but then Chuck’s is also unmistakably at home in Waikiki. Photos of early 20th-century Honolulu hang framed on the wall–depicting an era of dirt roads and horse-drawn carriages, when Kapiolani Park was swampland and the now hotel-lined Waikiki shoreline had just a small string of Victorian mansions. Tropical fish circle a bright tank that bubbles behind the bar. A poster depicting species of Hawaiian reef fish is tacked up nearby. All of it feels comfortably preserved in time: from the old-fashioned, ornate cash register right down to the steak knives–classic, not oversized, but well-made wood-handled originals. And while the atmosphere is what’s immediately striking about the place, the food leaves a lasting impression.

“We serve the same steak that Ruth’s Chris does, prime meat,” said general manager Jessica Brooks. “The original menu had lobster for $2.95.”

Of course the prices have gone up over time–dinner includes a big-as-you-want make-your-own-salad from the salad bar and choice of baked potato or rice, but can cost as much as $30 or more a plate. Still, the commitment to quality is stronger than ever. Head Chef Romualdo Mehares took a dishwashing job at the restaurant when he moved to Honolulu from the Philippines more than 20 years ago.

“I grew up at this place,” said Mehares. “It’s like a small family here, everybody together.”

Mehares is humble about his culinary talent, which is formidable, but outspoken about his love for Chuck’s. Brooks describes him as a “one-man show,” akin to the bottle-flipping bartender played by Tom Cruise in Cocktail. In the economic boom of the 1980s, Mehares was making more than 300 plates a night by himself, blaring a radio that the owners gave him so he could stay relaxed yet focused while he cooked. Today it’s more like 100 plates per night, still an impressive feat, and his favorite dish to make is prime rib. He uses the highest grade of meat, cut fresh daily, and makes it so tender that it practically melts off of the fork. Add one of his perfectly baked potatoes for a solid and simply delicious meal.

“I’m very happy here,” said Mehares. “And it’s all because one of the owners, Bob Davidson, wanted me to learn cooking.”

Davidson, Chuck’s longtime partner, died of cancer a decade ago but has left a lasting mark on the cellar. People speak of him fondly and often.

“He was a great guy,” said Scott Rolles. “He was old-school, always down there cutting the meat. He was like your mom-and-pop hands-on type of guy. A lot of the system and the simplicity and the things that work at Chuck’s Cellar are the result of Bob’s tutelage.”

Pieces of Davidson’s old boat–long paddles, the wide-eyed figurehead from the bow–serve as decorations above the bar.

“There’s a whole kind of spiritual vibe down here,” Brooks said, gesturing to the artifacts. “The same people come here year after year, some people every day. It really is a place that people come to have as a second home in a lot of ways.”

A connection to Chuck’s loved ones permeates the cellar. Polaroid photos hang from a panel of rusted binder rings on one wall, fading and dated. Decades-old moments show couples with big hair and thick moustaches, groups of people with their arms around one another, draped with lei and holding up cigars, clearly celebrating. Among them is Buzz Schneider, the late founder of Buzz’s Steakhouse and someone who Chuck has always cited as a source of inspiration.

“They opened their restaurants pretty close to the same time,” said Scott Rolles. “Buzz’s was the only place that made sense to my dad. He knew he could just show up in shorts and an aloha shirt and that made him happy.”

It’s true that the impressive salad bar–offering the freshest of ingredients and endless options for creative combinations–calls to mind Buzz’s style, but Chuck’s has a vibe all its own. Every night of the week, musicians crowd around a piano in the corner and play classic and contemporary jazz and rock ‘n’ roll. On one recent night the trio Mango Jam took patrons on a musical tour through the decades that started with “Barbara Ann” and included a rendition of Men at Work’s “Land Down Under” and samplings of Michael Jackson. The group happily takes requests and if they don’t know something, they improvise. There are other Chuck’s locations on Oahu–the franchise even spread across the mainland and to Guam–but there’s something about Chuck’s Cellar that stands apart.

“It’s complex to try to get it right but when it is right you know it,” said Scott Rolles. “You feel it and the customers feel it. Everyone feels it.”

And for as much of a gem as Chuck’s Cellar is, Scott Rolles says it isn’t as uncommon as it feels to diners accustomed to more contemporary restaurants.

“There are more restaurants on this island like this than you think,” said Scott Rolles. “These are places that don’t make a lot chest-pounding fuss. Places that have just quietly been doing their thing for a long time and they keep doing it. There’s quite a few of them, really. Not everything has to be such a press release public relations perfectly packaged deal. Places like this, they just kind of purr right along and make people happy over the years.”

Chuck’s cellar

150 Kaiulani Ave, 5:30pm –10pm daily, 923-4488 AmEx, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Diners Validated parking is available