August 26, 2010

Adventures in Dining Out: The Oasis, Lake Travis, TX

If you have read already, this nest went to Texas last week. I hadn’t been in TX (except for flight layovers) since my family moved from Dallas to Laguna Niguel, CA when I was 7. There is a sense of pride Texans feel with their state that California just doesn’t share, and I could feel it the moment I got off the plane… it feels like the 4th of July to me. Now that I sound crazy lets move along to our dining experience on the beautiful Lake Travis.

OasisFront
When I told my mom we ended up in Texas, one place she recommended we go was The Oasis on Lake Travis. Hubs and I have been wanting to visit Austin for a couple months now, and The Oasis was a restaurant he found while researching the city, that he really wanted to see. With a recommendation from my Mom and promise of drinks on a patio, it wasn’t too hard to convince our traveling buddies to have lunch there on Friday afternoon.

OasisTravisUmbrellas
The patios (yes there are WAY more than one) at The Oasis are, in my opinion, the only acceptable place to sit… I don’t care how hot it is outside. They are are all covered with these colorful umbrellas and a FANTASTIC view of Lake Travis!

OasisTravisView
Can I live here, PLEASE?

OasisTravisView2

When we sat down our waiter was quick to bring out ice waters for all of us, along with fresh chips and salsa. It wasn’t the hottest day of our trip, but it was certainly hot outside and the water was definitely necessary.

OasisCups
Hubs and I own 1, yes ONE, plastic cup, so I was excited to discover we could keep could take these home. Plastic pool cup and Texas souvenir – Awesome!

For lunch 3 out of 4 of us went Tex-Mex. Jeremiah ordered the Oasis Super Burger

JerMenu

JerBurger
According to Jer, queso on a burger or fries is only way to eat. The only draw back to queso poured on your burger is how slippery everything gets.

Tiffany ordered the Combo plate… I love how the “guacamole salad” is the standard shredded lettuce with tomatoes under guacamole you get at almost every Mexican restaurant in CA.

TifMenu

TifCombo

The enchilada sauce with Tex-Mex is different than the kind we get in CA. Like above with Tiff’s enchiladas and below with Hub’s Cheese Enchiladas, is the red chili sauce that is standard at home.

JasMenu

JasEnchil
One the menu the Tex-Mex chili sauce was an option, which is lighter in color and has ground beef in it. This may sound like a dis, but it reminds me of Taco Bell’s been burrito sauce… which I find tasty, so it’s a good thing.

I ordered the Crawfish Enchiladas because really, where else am I’m going to get Crawfish Enchiladas?

AliMenu AliEnchil
Mmmmm, just looking at that sauce is making my mouth water. (I need to stop writing these posts right before I eat).

The food was good, but collectively I’d have to say our favorite thing was the Sangrita – Margarita with Sangria. Om nom nom!

Sangrita
Perfect on a hot day over looking the lake :)

Have you tried Tex-Mex and California (Baja) Mexican before? Which do you prefer?

7 comments:

Sugar said...

This post has me so hungry! As a CA girl, I am totally a fan of CA Mexican. I just couldn't get into the velveta like queso that they serve in Texas, but I think that's my own personal issue. Otherwise, yum!!

Ali @ His Birdie's Nest said...

@Sugar - I'm not a big fan of Tex-Mex either. I didn't seem as fresh to me. Also most places have barely any veggies on the menu :/ I'm a CA Mexican fan all the way :)

BigAppleNosh said...

Wow, everything looks delicious. And those colorful umbrellas are adorable!

A Long Far View said...

Dude, a Sangrita sounds so good about now (though it appears the 95 degree days might be a thing of the past in Portland thank goodness!) And all that food is making me hungry for lunch!

Try Anything Once Terri said...

All of that looks AMAZING! I think I am going to have to make a trip to Texas! I've never been!

julie @ duet letterpress said...

oohh, i love the oasis! looks like y'all had a great time!

Martin Headen said...

Great Clicks! Yes, Oasis Lake Travis is one of the popular attraction in Austin. It has been found that many people used to search hotels near the Oasis on Lake Travis. Hope this comment will be useful for travellers in Austin. Thanks!

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