Game Time at Dave & Buster’s

Finally! I’ve been hearing about Dave & Buster’s from my sister-in-law (a Jacksonville native) for years, but I’d never been to one. Well, looks like Orlando finally jumped on the bandwagon. Our very first Dave & Buster’s opens on I-Drive tomorrow (July 18th).

Lucky for me, a friend handling the publicity shared tickets to a special sneak preview on Friday night (along with many of my former co-workers). As part of the event, my duo each received a $10 Power Card for arcade fun, along with an appetizer to split and an entrée each.

This Dave & Buster’s is huge: more than 40,200 square feet of gaming, drinking and eating goodness – all geared towards adults ages 21+ (I must say, I kind of love that under 21-ers must be accompanied by an adult at all times – particularly for the youngsters).

Here’s a rundown on our experience during this event…

Dining

This was much better than we were expecting. The design of the restaurant is contemporary with mostly booths (my favorite) & hardwood tables and a colorful 42-foot mural on the back wall.

For the appetizer, our waiter gave two recommendations: Mountain O’ Nachos and the Philly Steak Rolls. We went with recommendation #2 and weren’t disappointed. The four crispy rolls were stuffed with Philly steak and cheese, and served with cheese sauce and sweet & spicy ketchup.

For entrées, there were so many choices: salads, sandwiches, steaks, fish, burgers, pasta, even an “under 600 calories” section. In the end, my friend chose the Original Bar Burgers, which were 4 mini-cheeseburgers on King’s Hawaiian® rolls served with fries. I chose The MAC! & Cheese, which combined my favorite childhood treat with bacon and grilled chicken (absolutely delicious, though calorie-packed).

Drinks

To beat the Happy Hour clock (we ordered at 6:55pm and it was up at 7pm), our waiter quickly gave us the rundown on the mixed drinks. Several were intriguing, particularly the Snow Cone and the Candy Shop. But in the haste of the moment, we both went with the Million Dollar Margarita, the flagship cocktail (we recommend!).

Outside the main dining room was the large three-sided bar, surrounded by numerous high-tops. Flat screen TVs could be seen from about every angle, including the 103-inch plasma TV. Definitely a good place to meet friends for a drink before embarrassing yourself with lack of skills in the arcade.

*Happy Hours are Mon-Fri 4:30pm-7pm and Sun-Thurs 10pm-close. 1/2 price cocktails and discounted beer.

Million Dollar Midway

There were the classics (skeeball, basketball, racecar driving, Dance Dance Revolution, etc.), as well as some newbies (Derby Owners Club, Big Bass Wheel, Fruit Ninja and others). In all, more than 170 games to choose from. We attempted to try out a variety, but definitely found some favorites.

Our favorite ticket-less game was Big Buck. Yes, that’s right. Us two girls were slightly enamored with a game that involved shooting rifles at various animals while on treks across areas like Africa, India and Australia. We honestly could have played much longer, but our trigger fingers got tired and it was affecting our game. So we gave up.

The two best games for scoring loads of tickets were Color-Rama and the mock slot machines. For Color-Rama, you choose a color you think the ball will land on (corresponds to a set ticket amount). We each scored about 300 tickets there. At the mock slot machines, you try to quickly match rows of 3 symbols. I think I scored about 100 tickets there. We also loved playing the Super Trivia game, where up to 6 people can play at a time and the faster you answer correctly, the higher your score.

Winner’s Circle

Here is where you cash in game tickets. We were expecting a machine to count them, but instead you put all your tickets in a bin and it counts by weight! (Seriously, how do they do these things?) We each had about 550 tickets to spend in the store.

Many items were your typical arcade prizes: stuffed animals, bracelets, candy, Frisbees, etc. We both decided on housewares (we’re such girls): a pub glass for her and a coffee mug for me. I was surprised by some of the high-ticket items: PlayStation 2, a waffle maker (really??), Beatles Monopoly, iPod docking stations and other random choices.

Tips

Visit during Power Hour (Mon-Fri, 4:30pm-7pm) to receive an hour of game play for only $10. Plus, it’s the same time as half-priced cocktails and discounted beer. You can’t go wrong! There are also ½ price games every Wednesday, and the Eat & Play Combo ($15.99 for one select entrée & $10 Power Card) available all day Sun-Thurs or until 5pm on Sat & Sun.

Need to Know

Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11am to 1am, Fri-Sat: 11am to 2am
Location: 8986 International Drive (near the Olive Garden; its the old Race Rock location)
Phone: 407-541-3300
Website: www.daveandbusters.com