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Dave and Buster's, a closer look
Aloha!
5/9/09 - Without a doubt, the most diverse set of indoor activities on the island are found at the Ward Entertainment Complex in Kakaako. Not only does it include the subject of today's closer look, Dave and Buster's, but also a whole slew of shops and restaurants, including Big City Diner, Bucca di Beppo, Starbucks, and more. Only steps away, across the street, kiddie-corner across the street, up or down the street, and even behind the building, there's yet other shops and restaurants galore, such as Old Spaghetti Factory, Kincaid's, Ryan's, Kua Aina Burger, Borders, Sports Authority, Nordstrom Rack, and much, much more. It's scary to think that the owners of this entire area are master-planning even more retail and residential space, of which construction has already begun!
And to top it all off, even before entering Dave and Buster's, you'll find the biggest and best movie theatres in the State, with no less than 16 separate rooms for showtimes.
And, finally, we arrive at the three stories that make up Dave and buster's, itself. Once inside, there's the main restaurant area, along with a sports bar and a separate room housing a few pool tables and shuffleboard, which can be rented-out for private parties - a bit pricey, but very nice. On the top floor is another bar area often rented-out for private parties, with karaoke available for all you ham's out there. Ey, just kidding! And last but not least, there's the second floor, where another bar/dining area is, along with a huge game/arcade room.
Most of this room is either filled with those short, kid-friendly games that spew-out tickets used to purchase toys and other prizes, race-car drivers, and, of course, bloody shoot 'em up or karate fighting stuff that I just don't see the sense in. No wonder the kids are so aggro and aggressive these days! Me, I stick with old school, all the way - Centipede, Pac Man, Galaga, Asteroids, Galaxian, etc. Ok, Space Invaders is a little too primitive for me. But I wouldn't mind playing Break-out Pong again! The sad thing is, these games don't even get their own booths to themselves - there are only two machines housing the old-school stuff, between which there are only seven or eight games included! What's the deal? No respect for us old-folk, I tell you!
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With so many things to do in this area, it's no wonder that wifey and I love this place so much. In fact, our very first date night was right here, and since then, I can't even tell you how many times we've been back! Not that we always eat at the restaurant, but we never tire of catching a movie, playing a few rounds of Ms. Pac-Man, sipping a cold, frosty one, and just enjoying the energy and ambience all around.
This is the Sports Bar area on the first level, right outside the main restaurant, and where wifey and I had our first beer together.
The main dining area itself, like most other major American Chains, is spacious, comfortable, and attractively adorned, with a mix of booths, tables, Tiffany-type glass, red brick walls, cherry-stained wood, and checkerboard floors. I love it! The booths lining the outside perimeter open-up to nice views of Ala Moana Beach Park and the Kewalo Basin area.
Most of the time, however, wifey and I are up on the second level, where the games are. Usually, we just grab a drink and appetizers like spinach dip or queso, guacamole, and salsa w/chips, but once in a while, we'll order a full dinner, and when we do, it's all about the Eat & Play combo meals. For anywhere between $16.99 and $29.99, you can choose between a whole set of meals, such as a fried shrimp platter, chicken pesto pasta, teriyaki sirloin, huli huli salmon, and Black Jack (Daniels) bbq chicken and ribs, along with the real kicker - $10 or $20 worth of game tokens! And don't worry, you won't be lugging around shiny coins all night, as they just give out cards, which are electronically credited and which you slide-through a slot to begin each game.
Wifey took a chance on her meal tonight with a simple Ceasar salad and an order of fish 'n chips. Ever since we came back from New Zealand a couple of years back, we always think that somewhere, somehow, we'll find something somewhat resembling the delicious, super-light, golden-fried batters and moist, tender, white-meat fillets we found down there, but so far - nothing happening. Not that this was a very bad dish - I actually loved the firm, crispy batter and the tender flakiness of the meat inside. A little on the small side, portions-wise, but oh well...
My order was a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. They actually bring the thin-sliced meats in from Philly, herself, and use genuine hoagie rolls like they do up there in the City of Brotherly Love. Again, not bad at all, the meats coming very soft and flavorful, along with a good deal of tasty grilled onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers.
Probably the best thing I ever ordered here, however, was the chicken parmesan alfredo, which always works. It consists of a relatively simple bed of alfredo pasta, with two slices of parmesan cheese/breadcrumb-coated chicken.
From the best to the worst, I returned on another lazy afternoon with mom, and sampled one of their new appetizer choices, a toasted ravioli filled with Italian sausage, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese, then deep-fried and served with a marinara dipping sauce. This dish is the embodiment of the dark side of American chain restaurants, the pre-packaged, mass-made, almost TV-dinner-like qualities you sometimes find at these spots, a good deal of which comes from some of the deep-fried choices. Obviously pre-made in a factory somewhere off in the Mainland and shipped everywhere frozen, the shells on these bite-sized morsels were thick, doughy, and soft on the inside, and the fillings came with very little substance or character. If I were given a blind taste test, there's no way I would recognize any Italian sausage at all.
On a brighter note, mom's Cajun shrimp alfredo was much more enjoyable. It came with the same base of alfredo as the chicken parmesan, only darkened and fired-up with Creole spices, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, and shrimp. Not a whole lotta shrimp included in this dish, but when you did come across them, they were very tasty, coming grilled with a peppery Creole/Cajun effect.
Well, well, the weekend is upon us, isn't it? And what better a way to spend it than at this treasure trove of activity and fun down at the Ward complexes. Work's been slow for me, so I've been having a lot more time to do things I haven't done much in ages, namely - surf and fish! I'll show you a nice papio I caught the other day on the next closer look...
For now, I'll leave you with one final pic of wifey and I's last excursion here, and then - I'm out.
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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