Sundancer Grill — Restaurant in Texas

We stopped by Sundancer Grill recently after a sailing for the day on Lake Travis. The restaurant is located at Sail and Ski Yacht Club. But, don't be fooled, this isn't your typical lakeside restaurant! You can get there by car or boat. The restaurant has a courtesy dock located behind the restaurant. If you boat in, be aware of the shallow water! Logan waited on us during our visit, and his service was great ... attentive, but not overbearing! Thanks Logan, well done!

We started off with a couple of appetizers, the ceviche and the fried avocado wedges. The ceviche was perfectly prepared, and featured tilapia, mango and citrus, well-balanced, with a little heat provided by diced jalapeno. The ceviche is served with seasoned tortilla chips, very tasty and sturdy enough to hold a pile of ceviche. Delicious...

We weren't as thrilled about the fried avocado wedges. They were a bit mushy; I suppose that's to be expected. Lightly battered, seasoned with a little crushed red pepper and sesame seeds. The spicy tomatillo lime ranch served with the wedges was very good. We turned the fresh greens underneath the wedges into a pseudo-side salad. LOL

We split an entree, the Catfish Pontchartrain, which was served with garlic smashed potatoes and grilled zucchini. The entree was split for us in the kitchen, no extra charge, which is always nice. The Cajun cream sauce served on the fish was very good, loaded with fresh shrimp. The veggies were good too! We didn't save room for dessert, but those listed on the menu look really good. Next time!

I included photos of the entire menu to give y'all an idea of the wide variety of selections offered at Sundancer Grill. Craft salads, burgers, sandwiches, steak and seafood. There is a brunch on Sunday, which looks super tasty! Something on the menu to suit the whole family, and decent prices.

Some thoughts about the restaurant itself. It's open air, and it may not even have A/C. But, don't let that scare you off. We were there when the temperature was in mid-90s. They have many fans, and a couple of cooling machines, which I believe use ice. It was very comfortable inside.

A full-service bar is available, offering specialty cocktails, as well as a decent beer selection, and a handful of decent wines. Happy hour is Monday through Friday, 4pm to 6pm, with drink discounts, half price wine by the glass, and half appetizers.

We'll...

Decided to try this place out for an evening outside. It was a cute place and the hostess sat us right away and that was the end of the customer service. After sitting for a good 10 minutes and not having anyone check on us, I went in search of the manager. He came and took our drink order and our waitress finally made it to our table and asked us for our drink order again. Our server, Nicole, went to check on our drinks and came back with our 3 teas and a lemonade. 10 minutes later my Paloma showed up. The waitress took our order for appetizers. Let me stop right here. First of all I am a chef and I teach culinary arts and restaurant management so i understand being in the weeds. Our server seemed to have no sense of urgency and looked and sounded like she was not entirely sober. We ordered the conch fritters which were pretty good, not the best but what do you expect when the closest ocean is a few hundred miles away. My grandson got his plate fairly quickly but our salad came out after our food. The food was great!! Aside from my asparagus being luke warm, it was really good. When the check finally came we handed her a card and cash. The instructions were simple. $59 on the card and the rest was paid for with cash. This seemed a little to hard for her because she came back with the wrong amounts and we were not charged correctly on the ticket. At this point I just wanted to get out. Another 15 to 20 minutes later she shows up leaves the check and walks away. Not so much as a thank you for coming, sorry about the long wait, just drop the check and go. Alm in all it ended up being a 2 hour meal. We may go back just for the food but maybe just do take...

This laid back restaurant/bar overlooking the Hurst Harbor Marina is a nice way to cap off a day of boating or loafing on Lake Travis. Unlike some of the more well-known restaurants on the lake that expect the view to compensate for mediocre food and service, the Sundowner turns out well-thought-out and prepared plates. We started with the Thai Lettuce Wraps- Boston lettuce thoughtfully served in a metal taco holder and filled with moist grilled chicken, sweet soy glaze (perhaps a bit too sweet for my liking) pickled onion, carrots and whole peanuts (crush them please!) My Bacon Blue Cheese burger was massive with the bacon, beef and cheese each vying for their own territory on my taste buds. The chef even allowed me a medium-rare level of doneness on the burger. Hand-cut fries (look for the peels still attached) are hot and crispy and seasoned with salt, pepper and another spice (Lawry's?) My wife raved over the Miso Salmon salad with goat cheese, pecans and Mandarin oranges toped with a citrus vinaigrette. Her Cosmopolitan got a hand-shaking and a thumbs up while I opted for the ubiquitous iced tea. ...