drh

I've noticed alot of fog in the weather forecast lately in Carmel. What time would I need to wait for the fog to be lifted for a drive from Carmel down to Big Sur.

jewelhawg

This is unrelated to fog...

We made the drive a couple of years ago and you absolutely must stop in Big Sur at the Post Ranch Inn and have lunch and/or drinks at Sierra Mar. Dinner is wonderful, too, but you'd probably need reservations. It's an incredible restaurant that seems to suspend over the ocean. If the weather is pleasant, you can dine/drink on the deck. www.postranchinn.com

kimamom

jewelhawg, we just celebrated a birthday dinner at Sierra Mar @ the Post Ranch Inn. It was a very memorable experience, I would definitely return again and again.

DH loved the architecture and the art work, the whole place was just amazing and certainly lives up to all the hype, IMO! ***kim***

E

The question of fog has been discussed here before, so I'm not saying anything new or interesting when I tell you that there is no way to predict what time of day the fog will lift, if it comes in at all. You will have to--gasp!--play it by ear. Good luck.

zacky

we just got back. fog was usually in early AM, but sometimes it did come back. we had glorious weather. we stayed in pac grove and ate at joe rubios. oh my gosh! this place is fantastic. people rec'd the place right down the street - Fandango's, but this place - atmosphere, service and food - fabulous. if you like italian, beautiful atmosphere, great food, wine and prices, go to Joe Rubios. we later found out all the locals love it. no wonder! a few things from our trip. must dos-
eat at sierra mar/post ranch inn for lunch. stop fro a drink at the river inn and sit in the river chairs. this is a must. soaking your feet in the water, sipping a cold one. ahhh. i can hear the water now. nepenthe was nice for a cocktail, but that is all. when at sierra mar to eat, request a table next to the edge. trust me. big difference and unreal view.
in pac grove we stayed at gatehouse inn. very nice, comfy rooms, great breakfasts, wine on the porch, hospitality. i would have preferred right on water, but we had a view from the porch. i saw 7 gables and other place on water. looked nice. hubby golfed cypress point with friends and loved it (good connections. had one of the worst spa facials of my life at spa at pebble beach, but my friend had a fantastic experience and loved her manicure. said it was the best one ever.
another MUST do is carmel valley and drinks at mission ranch inn on the porch at sunset time. i have been all over the world and this view is unreal, truly. we were there at about 6pm. it was foggy and misting. the pasture was a chartreuse green and sheep grazing. we sipped wine for hours - then the fog cleared and you could see the beach and ocean. i had no idea it was there prior! eat there, drink there, dance at the piano bar and sing along, but see this place in daylight. i am so glad we did. next time we'll stay there. there was a wedding and it was booked. i didn't see any rooms. then, off to san fran (eat dinner at enricos and rubicon - wow!) and then to sonoma, too. loved the wineries and prefer son. to napa much more. must eat lunch at cafe citti (chitti). fabulous, casual, inexpensive, high quality italian right on the porch. you walk up to order, but it tastes like you are in italy.

hope this helps.
thanks go out to all who made rec's to us and our trip so very special. THANK YOU!!!!!

je

Zacky, don't you mean Joe Rombi's la Mia Cucina which is a great Italian restaurant in PG? I haven't heard of Joe Rubio's.

SAB

Also Mission Ranch is in Carmel, near the Mission, not in Carmel Valley.

TripleSecDelay

drh - you didn't indicate in your original question when you will be there...

That can make a difference in the answer.

Surprised that nobody mentioned the restaurant called Nepenthe on Hwy 1. This is a MUST DO, also. Google it.

kimamom

Zacky did mention it, re-read the post. Said it was nice for a cocktail, but that's about all.

We didn't waste our time with this place, went to Ventana and had San Pelligrinos on their patio, then went to Sierra Mar for dinner. ***kim***

TripleSecDelay

Kim - I see it now. Have to admit the post wasn't as easy to read as previous posts with capitalized pronouns. For whatever reason, I skip past the e e cummings posts here.

There is a great history behind Nepenthe. Because of the length of its history, Nepenthe may not be as polished, architectually, as some of the sites constructed in recent years. It also has great views (when the fog cooperates) for a couple passing through. Which is my original intention for the first posting here. I wrote it was a MUST DO because it appeared that drh was not seeking a destination. However, as a brief stop w/o reservations, this works for many.

For all I know, drh is on a photo journey and already has the nutrition part of the trip covered. I've done this, too.

Cheers!

TripleSecDelay

By the way, we use San Pellegrino to remove driveway stains at our restaurant. I prefer Ty Nant.

kimamom

Ty Nant is also nice. I buy that by the case at the Safeway where we shop in Astoria, OR. Love the blue bottle! I sometimes use it as a vase for my flowers. ***kim***

je

Nepenthe has been in Big Sur long before Ventana and Post Ranch appeared on the scene - the history is interesting. The food there is very good, maybe not the same presentation as the other two, but well worth a stop and less expensive. We had lunch there yesterday and the view is as good as the other two well known places.

momincv

If you can find a way to predict when there will be no fog along the coast, you will never have to worry about paying for any future travel! I grew up and still live on the Monterey Peninsula. Just go for it. Many times it can be foggy in Carmel yet beautiful in Big Sur. If you want Sun, go to Carmel Valley and go wine tasting.

kimamom

Nice suggestion. We enjoyed the Georis and the Chatau Julien wines when we visited Carmel last month. The Georis wines are served at Casanova where we had an excellent al fresco lunch. Very nice sea bass salad there and the Sauv Blanc from Georis was perfect. ***kim***