There’s no denying this was just about the greatest food assignment ever. I mean, who wouldn’t want to cruise the lake with friends on the hottest, sunniest day of the summer, intermittently swimming in gorgeous alcoves and eating nachos? So what if the swimming turned to floating and the nachos kept on coming until one more jalape�o might have sunk the boat? Trusty Cap’n Bill Conlee from the Lakeway Marina kept us dutifully afloat, hydrated, and sunscreened (and was a good sport about offering his comments on the snacks we sampled; we food critics were proud when he sent back some funky iced tea). The group of us started at the Travis Room at Lakeway Inn, where we had a very enjoyable breakfast with a pristine view. The hotel restaurant’s impressive dinner menu features entr�es such as grilled ostrich and rack of lamb with discounted sunset portions served from 6-7pm and a lengthy wine list. Then we set sail for the Sundowner Grill at Volente Beach, Sam Hill Waterfront Grill, Las Brisas (which turned out to be closed due to the recent flooding), and then on to Shades. By the time we got back to the marina, well… let’s just say we were beached, but we had discovered that the view of the shimmering water isn’t the only good reason to frequent these lakeside eateries.
Although street addresses are provided for all the establishments listed, we couldn’t recommend the water route more enthusiastically. It is so much fun, and if you don’t have a boat or a pal with a boat there are lots of places on the lake where you can rent one. (Those on a tight budget might want to take advantage of the $2 per person round-trip water taxi from the Lakeway Marina to Shades right around the bend. You can make the call from the deck and they’ll come pick you up.) The seven-man runabout on which we cruised around will set you back about $49 per hour, but Lakeway’s fleet also includes ski boats, pontoon boats, and waverunners, all at various rates. And if you really want to splurge, you can arrange for Cap’n Bill to take a whole boatload of you (65 people tops) on a catered dinner cruise in his Motor Yacht (call 261-7543 for info). We might have considered it ourselves — after a lengthy digestion period, of course. — J.S.
This article appears in August 8 • 1997 and August 8 • 1997 (Cover).