iT'Z Colorado Springs

When we decided to visit iT'Z Colorado Springs, I had high hopes. I'd heard that this was going to be similar to Chuck E. Cheese or Dave 'n' Busters.

After visiting, I'd say that if you have the desire to play games or eat, you should simply save your money and go to Chuck E. Cheese or Dave 'n' Busters. You'll spend less and your experience will be much better.

The first thing that I noticed was that you cannot simply go to iT'Z and play games. You just can't. Even if you already have points on a card, you have to buy a buffet for each person in your group. What if you have people who are on diets or can't eat at buffets? Too bad. Each person has to pay for a buffet. I did not order drinks, but looking at my receipt later (yes, I realize that I should have looked at it immediately), I found that we had been charged for 5 drinks. There's an extra $10 that I didn't expect to spend.

When we first arrived, the staff members were very unhelpful. I've never had a bad experience with employees at a Chuck E. Cheese. They're always more than willing to explain how things work, offer me information on coupons, and to answer questions. The staff at iT'Z was not so helpful. When I didn't want to pay for the buffet + game card combo, they gave me a ton of crap for it and kept explaining that I couldn't just buy a $10 card because it was going to "cost more."

$60 later...

The dining area is set up so that the food/buffet/bar/drinks are in the center at the back of the room. There were also a few different dining rooms. You get your food and drinks from the buffet and then pick a seat in one of the dining rooms. We went on a Saturday and the entire place was packed. It was nearly impossible to get food without tripping over a child. There was no organizational plan to the buffet at all (no lines). Everyone was just grabbing for food.

Given the choice, I won't pay for the food here again. There were several types of pizza, which was nice, but it tasted horrible. It was soggy and greasy. There was also a salad bar, which I was excited about. That is, until I noticed that the vegetables and the eggs were frozen. Yes, frozen. As in, frozen so you couldn't eat them, but they were still at the buffet. This iT'Z did have a bar, but it was unstaffed. There was a sign that said you could find a team member if you wanted a drink, but there were no team members to be found.

If you have older kids, they may enjoy the games at iT'Z.

There are a ton of different games, including arcade games and rides. My 6-year-old loved the selection of games, but it was definitely too much for my smaller son. The "little kid" things were too small for him (including a height limit for the bounce house) and the "big kid" things were too big for him, so it was frustrating for him. The bowling area was fantastic, I thought, and my sons both loved getting to bowl "for real."

That said, there were some problems with the games. Many of the games just didn't give tickets. Some of them ate your tokens. Staff members were nowhere to be found. Seriously. For a Saturday, you'd think there would be extra people working, but there wasn't. When you win tickets (assuming your machine gave you tickets), you could redeem them on some of the small prizes and toys in the prize shop. I liked that this prize shop offered stuffed animals and other cool toys.

If you have little kids, I would avoid iT'Z simply because it's not really kid-friendly. Little kids will get lost in the crowd and unlike Chuck E. Cheese, there is no security system in place to prevent kidnappings. I can't imagine bringing a toddler or preschooler here and letting them walk around. They would get trampled. Older kids (6+) may enjoy the variety of games and the rides. This iT'Z had a couple of different types of rides available, including a mini-roller coaster and bumper cars.

Hungry Buffs and Deli Zone - Valmont

I have no idea how this restaurant has a 4-star rating on Yelp, but I believed it and decided to take a chance by ordering from them.

Never again.

I live half a mile from the shop. Most of the time, delivery places in Boulder deliver food within 30-40 minutes. After an hour, I called the store and the manager told me that the food would be here in 5-10 minutes an that the delivery guy had just left.

Another 30 minutes went by (keep in mind, we'd been waiting 90 minuets at this point) and still no food. I called again and the guy said he didn't know what to tell me, the delivery man had left and that our food should have been there. Not once did he apologize or offer to comp the meal in any way. He said he didn't know what to do. Finally, he said he would contact the delivery driver.

Another 10 minutes, and the food finally arrived.

Our hot subs were smashed and cold. They were on the wrong type of bread. Also, the drink we had ordered had spilled all over the sides of the cup, so it was sticky, and wet. To top it all off? No straw.

Again, the customer service was TERRIBLE for delivery. Maybe eating inside the restaurant is fine, but I'll never chance it after our experience tonight.

Five Spice Asian Cuisine

My family and I checked out Five Spice Asian Cuisine this week. If you like Chinese food and you want a small, friendly atmosphere for your lunch or dinner, this is the place for you.

This small restaurant is tucked quietly in a shopping center and is right by Safeway. One thing we all loved was that the servers actually speak Chinese. If you want a quiet place to study or simply want to practice your speaking skills, check out this great little spot. Additionally, many of the fellow patrons spoke Mandarin, so everyone had a great time.

Visit at:
3325 28th Street, Unit 5
Boulder, CO 80301

Haoway Chinese Cafe

If you're looking for some quick and simple Chinese food, check out Haoway Chinese Cafe. Located in the King Soopers parking lot off 30th street, this tiny cafe is the perfect place to pick up some lunch to eat at the park. The eatery has a few tables and chairs but fills up quickly. For faster eating, consider taking your food home or simply eating outside.

The food is pretty inexpensive. For less than $4 you can get one item and either rice or noodles. For a little more than $5 you'll get two items and rice or noodles. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is really relaxed.

Contact info:
1678 30th St
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 442-5115

Silver Mine Subs

I just got off a plane from Florida after going down for the weekend to cover the Red Bull Training Grounds Starcraft II competition, so needless to say, I'm a little tired. I'm also a lot hungry.

After a quick Google search, I found Silver Mine Subs right here in Colorado. They're open until 3am, which is perfect since it was already after 10 when I decided to get food. I didn't want to venture out, so I love that I could order this online and have it delivered.

The website makes it very clear that you need to leave a tip on the credit card or tip with cash. You can't leave the tip on the card after the food is delivered. The site also gave a suggested delivery time frame of about 30 minutes.

The prices are pretty reasonable. The restaurant offers subs, soups, and salads. A large sub is $7.99 and while they have a ton of options for pre-made subs, you can easily personalize any sandwich. There's also a $2.00 delivery fee.

We ordered two sandwiches, a side salad, and a pickle.

Don't ask. I just really, really love pickles.

We ordered at 10:00 on a Sunday night and while the website estimated a half hour delivery, our food arrived in a little under an hour. The sandwiches were delicious. The large size is perfect for splitting two meals or sharing with a child or friend. The salad was really simple but for a dollar fifty, who can complain? The pickle was also awesome. I'd definitely order from here again.

Contact info:
Address: 1100 28th St, Boulder, CO 80303
Phone: (303) 402-9400
Hours 10am - 3am