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Ski Shores, down at the end of City Park Dr., is the kind of restaurant
that sneaks up on you. On first view, it looks like most any other on
the water kind of joint. Furniture is early patio, ducks and geese are
waddling around begging for a hand out, and the fare of the day is written
on a blackboard near the door. Well, actually the goose never came within
10 feet of me [he must have been aware of my fondness for foie gras].
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Ski Shores has a lot of history
dating back to 1954 when it served as a kind of emergency food venue
for people who were staying in cabins on the lake.
But in its current incarnation under owner George Levy, it has,
in my opinion, reached its zenith of edibility. The food is damn
good. |
We tried the Fried Cheese Sticks and they were perfectly
serviceable. I would, however, lose the Ranch Dressing for the dip and
get something that lends itself more to fare. The Bacon Cheeseburger
was a delight. Cheeseburgers either have it, or they don't. This one
did. On first bite, you got the smoky flavor from the bacon and the
comforting mingling of the beef and cheese. The bun was fresh, the fries
crisp and not greasy: in short, a cheeseburger for the ages.
We also tried the Border Burger.
And again, we were rewarded. They smother this one with jalapenos,
onions, and guacamole. It all kind of fell apart eventually, as
a good burger should, and it worked beautifully.
And then we had a sampling of their Catfish. The batter was mild,
the taste fresh and bursting with flavor, and the texture was as
it should be. A bonus was the tartar sauce. It was more robust than
the usual sauce, almost more like a slaw salad. But I liked it,
and it complemented the catfish. |
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The only negative was the Philly Cheese Steak. We
found it to be on the dry side. And that's been a fairly current complaint
of mine at most places in Austin that try this East Coast staple. I
imagine it would be the equivalent of some guy in Philadelphia trying
to open a taqueria.
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But overall we enjoyed Ski Shores. As
I said earlier, it sneaks up on you. By the time we has noshed to
our satisfaction, fed the ducks, watched the boats, and generally
drifted into that laid-back tranquility that so often happens to
me when I'm at water's edge, it was time to go. And I really didn't
want to. |
Take City Park Dr. off 2222 just North
of 360. Or hop in your watercraft if you prefer [it's about 12 miles
down the lake from Lake Austin Spa, by the way]. There's live music
on the weekends, and from what I could gather, the possibility of
an abundance of guys with six-packs [the abdominal variety] and
girls with bikinis and a sense of adventure. Oh yeah, and your middle-aged,
overweight food critic, just to keep things on an even keel.
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Check them out on the web at www.skishores.com.
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