Soleil, with its breathtaking view of Lake Travis, seems to have sprung fully formed from the head of the Schiller-Del Grande group, that very emblem of cynical dining that operates some of Texas’s most underwhelming and uninspired restaurants. If at one time, Robert Del Grande’s passion lay in making interesting and good food, it now seems to be solely concerned with making boatloads of cash. From seared ahi tuna to truffled parmesan fries, dishes are culled from the top sellers of the past twenty years and then made just okay, or worse.

A shrimp burger is flat, flavorless, and stuffed with enough sauce and greens to confound diners into thinking it’s tasty. Pizza is greasy and doughy, and “Catalan guacamole” sounds and tastes like something served at a World Cup party. Dish after dish enjoys the appeal of airplane food, even salads, of which a version with shrimp, crab, and Thousand Island dressing appeared at a neighboring table on one visit to a reaction of “I ordered this?” No, sir. No one asks for this.

If you aren’t frightened away by the nightmarish, surreal statues that pepper the tacky complex (which houses the more lovable, more sincerely unfocused tourist trap, The Oasis), including one depicting a seahorse being chased by what appears to be tiny footballers, you could have a mediocre wine or cocktail in the bar with raw oysters, simply to watch the gorgeous sunset. And then pick up a frozen dinner on the way home.