LUSTRE: Austin
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Restaurants not near anything, but worth the trip

The Iguana Grill - 2900 North F.M. 620. Hard to know what’s best, the gourmet Tex-Mex or the view of Lake Buchanan spreading out from the deck as you eat. It’s a half-hour drive, but the drive itself is worth the trip, because you get the best scenery Austin has to offer. Get the map and directions from the web. Leave for the restaurant at least an hour before sunset, so you will get the full pleasure of the scenic drive followed by a view of the setting sun. More intimate and personal than the Oasis, which enjoys a similar view.
 Magnolia Café South - 1920 S. Congress Ave. A 24/7 breakfast café with a well-rounded menu. The other location is also far from the seminary, but either is worth a trip. Daily gourmet specials of which Wednesday’s Magnacotti is better than any meal you’ll get in higher-priced restaurants. Try too Magnolia Mud, which contains melted cheese, black beans, and avocado slices. You eat it with the accompanying tostados, Austin’s answer to chop sticks.
 The Oasis - 6550 Comanche Trail. The biggest restaurant in Austin, the Oasis might seat 2,000 at once, but it retains a smaller atmosphere by seating you on a much smaller deck. You look out over the lake to mountains (well, they’re as close to mountains as we get in Central Texas). Leave for the restaurant at least an hour before sunset, so you will get the full pleasure of the scenic drive followed by a view of the setting sun. When the sun sets, the Oasis rings a bell and diners applaud. Includes a night club with good bands and singers, and substantial inside seating if it rains. Not a cheap or fast meal.
The Salt Lick Barbecue Restaurant - Nearly halfway to Wimberley, Texas, southwest of town, but the scenic drive itself is worth the trip, and at the end of this journey is a splendid example of Barbecue Texana.