Calypso’s at the Isle of Capri Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado is a fun atmosphere with a wide variety of choices.
The casino itself has a party atmosphere, with lots of flashing lights and loud slot machines. It tends to draw a large crowd, especially on weekend evenings, when people from Denver come up the mountain for a little entertainment.
The buffet area has a fairly large seating area centered with the dessert bar, decorated like a grass hut, and with chocolate carved eagles sitting on top. Surrounding the dessert is the rest of the buffet, with a various decorations relating to the types of food found in that area. The carpet is flashy with swirls of color, and neon lights and slot machine sounds drift in from the casino, which the buffet is open to.
Unlike other buffets I’ve frequented, Calypso’s frequently changes their food selection. Options that are there one time may not be there the next. This is great for getting to try a large variety of high quality food, but bad if you were looking forward to your favorite dish.
A salad bar starts off the buffet; it is disappointingly limited in choice, although the few pre-made salads are good. During this trip there was a cucumber salad and a fruit salad in the pre-made section.
The typical sliced turkey and ham is offered, along with mashed potatoes and gravy. That has been consistent throughout all of my visits.
On this trip some of the special dishes included an herbed potato and onion dish, diced sweet potatoes, and smothered green beans. Original meat choices were Salisbury steak, and a sausage in a gravy type of sauce.
The pasta section contains four or five varieties, this time including a shrimp pasta, a sausage ravioli, and a cheese alfredo ravioli.
I am not much of a seafood eater, but there was also a good selection of four or five options there. I got there at the end of the lunch period, and by the time I was finished they were pulling out the crab legs for the dinner crowd.
Dessert consists of many types of cakes, cheesecakes, brownies, cookies, ice cream, and puddings. The brownies and some of the cookies are cut up in small servings so you can try a few without getting too full.
Overall, the quality of the food is high, above that of the average buffet. However, it is a buffet, so don’t expect gourmet cooking from there.
The service was excellent during this visit, when dishes were finished they were rapidly taken away, keeping the table clear for the next trip. Drinks were refilled regularly, and the staff was polite and always ready to help.
The cost of the lunch buffet is reasonable at $10.99 per person, but every so often they offer a half price special to bring people in to the casino, in hopes that they will spend more money gambling.
The variety of food offered, and the unexpected new dishes make it a great place to try not just once, but a few times. You can find something new each time, and enjoy a good meal before losing money to the casino. It’s also worth the trip for the meal alone, even if you will not be throwing away money to gambling.
