Evening on Lake Travis

We had never been out to Lake Travis to see the sunset, so we set a time to go for dinner at a new restaurant there, Soleil. This restaurant has been in business for only a short time. It is run by a chef that has really unusual qualifications: he has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. Apparently his love of food won out.

Soleil is part of a growing complex based on the success of the Oasis. Oasis is a huge, busy place on the cliffs of Lake Travis. It is known for its sunset views, and for mediocre food. Soleil will be known for marvelous food soon.

We arrived in time for a glimpse of this restaurant's beautiful setting. This is late afternoon on the shore of Lake Travis. The limestone cliffs are lit by the beautiful, slanting rays of a descending sun.

The houses here are sometimes quite spectacular, not really blending into the hillsides, but with a kind of stately presence..

Dinner was really quite peaceful here. The restaurant has a Mediterranean theme, so we started with shared servings of calimari (thick and delicious), and a roast pepper hummus (also good, with a peppery bite). Each of us chose different entrées: roast trout, hangar steak, sauteed scallop with wild mushroom ragout over polenta, flattened chicken breast pan-fried with cappacola and fried sage leaves. We shared the reasonable-sized portions so that everyone tasted everything.

As we ate, I took breaks to catch a bit more sunset. Here the raucous Oasis crowd views the sunset from a series of cliff-side terraces.

A lone sailboat glides across to the eastern shore.

Dusk brought an orange glow.

Night completed the process, leaving the beautiful, light-filled hills behind.

Unfortunately it also left an internal reflection from the lens evident on the right side of the photo.

Note: these photos were taken with a new camera, a Canon 60-D. I am pleased with it, but am still learning how to use it properly.