. . "0"^^ . "I was very excited at the opening of the Hard Rock. It's nice to see some competition in the gambling arena, and this place completely blows Thistledown away. It's not even close. \n\nTo start off, the Hard Rock is much larger and more spacious. I visited several times on the weekend during \"peak\" hours and never had to wait for a machine (unlike those \"other guys\"). The machines are new and there's a huge selection. The staff have all been super friendly and helpful, which is a huge change from dealing with downtown or the other race track. I was also impressed that they matched my tier status from the other place as well. \n\nMy first buffet experience wasn't all that great, however. The food was bland and sometimes overcooked. It was nice to bypass the huge line (Legend status has its privileges). I did talk to a manager about the food and received several apologies and even a letter with two more free buffets in it. I appreciate that they took the effort to make me happy rather than just blow me off.\n\nI will absolutely be back there again. It's more fun (and a LOT less depressing) than piddling your cash away \"downtown\"."^^ . "0"^^ . "2014-01-27T00:00:00"^^ . . "0"^^ . "4"^^ .