Austin's Ski Shores
When most folks think activities in Austin, it's likely to be centered around the clubs and trendy eateries in the downtown and South Congress areas, and with good reason. These areas have lots to offer in the way of food and music, but another activity is also offered in the Austin area- water sports. As you cross the Congress Street Bridge what do you see when you look down? Lady Bird Lake actually it's a portion of the lower Colorado River dammed at one end. At this end it's tranquil, with many a manual powered water craft (think row boats and kayaks) plying the waters because motor craft are not allowed on that side. The other side, Lake Austin, is a different story all together.
The Lake Austin side of the dam is home to all kinds of water craft, boats, and jet skis. With a large number people out on thewater, it should come as no surprise then that there are places like Ski Shores which is set up specifically to serve all the water-worshipers! We recently attended a media event at Ski Shores put on by our friends at Crave Communications and we had a great time.
Ski Shores is located out near Emma Long Park, and is designed to accommodate both drive up customers and boaters with its dock. For those not familiar with them, the Ski Shores restaurant has been around since the 50's serving the boating community on Lake Austin. Their menu consists of many of the American favorites you'd expect- burgers, sandwiches, fries, etc. On this occasion we were served some very nice appetizers and drinks.
Ski Shores, as it turns out, is now part of the same family of restaurants as Soleil and Uncle Billy's which means that like its sister restaurants it is locally owned and operated. Y'all know how uptight we are about that! We had the chance to speak with the district manager Tim Teague at length. One thing is certain, he loves his job. And who can blame him? He gets to go to hard core foodie spots like Soleil and places like Ski Shores that are just plain fun. What a hard life, eh?
As previously mentioned, ski shores is set up to accommodate boaters and drive up customers alike. It is also set up with families in mind. As a part of the renovations they also included a brand new playscape, and on Fridays they roll out a screen and play family friendly movies and light up the pit to roast free S'mores. Add to that the fact that you can fish off the docks, and the overall reasonable prices and you're talking about a great family evening. Another thing to keep in mind- music. They offer live music on a regular basis at Ski Shores; in fact I have actually caught a show or two at Ski Shores from the comfort of a boat.
Here's a quick list of some of the items we sampled-
Wings- About as good an example of buffalo wings as I've ever had. The sauce was not too hot or too heavy on the vinegar. A very nice way to start a meal.
Fried Okra- In the interest of full disclosure, I've never been big on okra, fried or otherwise, but I really enjoyed these. The batter on the okra was very nice, and I'd wager that if fried okra is your kind of treat you'll probably love these. They're perfectly crunchy, but the okra still comes through nicely.
Fried pickles- How much more southern does it get than fried okra and fried pickles on the same menu? A nice, crunchy exterior and a good sour interior.
We'd like to thank our friends at Ski Shores and Crave Communications for having us out. We had a great time hanging out with you and the rest of our blogger compatriots and look forward to coming back soon!
Austin, TX 78730
Hours:
Mon-Wed: 11am-9pm
Thurs: 11am-10pm
Fri: 11am-11pm
Sat: 8am-11pm
Sun: 8am-9pm