Oops that should be I still recommend a stop at Nepenthe,

I had lunch (the ambrosia burger, of course) on the deck there 42 years ago. It was a beautiful sunny September day, and I still remember the view. (But I've forgotten the price of the burger).

Am I the only one here who will admit to being there in 1966? (We went to the Monterey Jazz Festival on that trip too---saw the Jefferson Airplane, big Mamma Thornton, Muddy Waters, and others).

enzian, You have me beat by 4 years. I worked at Big Sur State Park the summer of 1970.

What a great job that must have been! We camped around there that spring (1970), but on private land up on a ridge, not at the state park.

Maybe it's time for another visit. . . .

From our honeymoon scrapbook in Sept '71

-Ambrosiaburger w/ green salad, beans, or slaw $2.00
-Phoenix Burger: steak dinner w/fries, green salad, & coffee $7.00
-Chedder steak dinner w/ fries & coffee
-Broiled Chicken w/ fries, salad, & coffee $4.00
-1/2 Roast Squab stuffed with Lolly's sage dressing, salad, & coffee $4.00
this later probably "morphed" into Lolly's roast chicken

From the Wine List
Inglenook Pinot Noire $7
Wente Pinoty Blanc $4.50
Poulliy Fuisse (France) $6.50
Inglenoo Cabernet $7

many others

Stu Dudley

Stu Dudley

Oops - the Phoenix "burger" was really a -Phoenix special: New York Steak

Stu Dudley

On our drive across country to the west coast, sections of the drive on Hwy 46 between Paso Robles and Hwy 1, reminding us so much of Tuscany, and the coast drive in places reminding us of the Amafi coast drive, the wife commented that she would love to have a slice of cheese, some grapes, Italian bread and a bottle of wine. Rememembering someone on this web site had recommended and gave directions to the Nepenthe, I figured this was a good time to get in come brownie points. Within the hour we were sitting at a table along the railing overlooking the Pacific coast. It was beautiful setting with a beautiful wife who was happy as a lark with her cheese and wine platter, while I had theambrosia burger and 1/2 basket of fries. The service was great and it was one of the highlights of the trip
Go eat and enjoy.

It's wonderful.
The food is good.
The service was good when I was there.
The view is spectacular.
It's definitely "worth it".

You can see from the Nepenthe web cam how close the recent forest fires got to Nepenthe.

http://www.kusp.org/fire/deckcampage.html

Those are awesome pictures, Andrews! Thanks for posting them.

Big Sur highway officially opened again today. Hurray!

On the food at Nepenthe, I don't understand why people knock it. We stopped for lunch one day and have the most delicious steak special I can remember for a long while.

Expensive? Compared to a McDs, yes, but otherwise, no.

An ambrosiaburger today costs $13.50 which comes with free salad (and I believe there are some accompanying fries, but can't remember). Also water is free. If you're the DD like I am usually you appreciate the free water. Otherwise, you can have a glass of wine - total lunch bill for $20 in a terrific relaxing setting isn't expensive to me. But to each his own.

The hamburger at Sierra Mar at the Post Ranch Inn (lunch menu) is $18, but it's Kobe beef. Glass of wine there will cost you about 1 1/2x to 2x that of Nepenthe.

Same ocean. Same coast.

Nepenthe is an apple. Sierra Mar is an orange.

Since I'm a teacher, I'll take the apple. Hope it's red!

This teacher likes oranges.

ET as I have previously posted pricey is in the eye of the beholder and the fact its prices are comparable to others in the area does not make it less pricey for some. I do not believe that everyone will think that a $15 per person lunch is reasonable even if I do. Not every traveler has the same budget. I recently took the visiting adult children of a long-time family friend out to dinner in SF and watched their disbelief at the prices at what I considered a reasonably-priced restaurant. It was a reminder that for many going to Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc is a treat, whether I think so or not, So, I have no problem believing that some travelers will think Nepenthe is overpriced.

Enzian,

Yes, I will admit to being at Nepanthe in 1966 -- even earlier. It was wonderful then, and I could not think of visiting the area and not eating there. Back then, my buddy was dating an actress, Kim Novak, who had a home near there. Partying at the restaurant, then to the baths at Esalen are some of my fondest memories.

At the time, someone was quoted as saying, "By the same token that Niagara Falls could be described as some water falling over a cliff, Nepenthe could be called a restaurant".

SAB: I should have said I agree with you. What is pricey or not depends on the individual.

Every time I stumble to the airport for an early morning flight, I get a Burger King croissanwich and an orange juice and it's costs $3.98. That's expensive to me! I'm still living in the days when fastburgers were 69 cents apiece.

iamq: I'm a cantaloupe person myself.

enzian: I believe I visited with Henry Miller when he was living at Nepenthe (just kidding! but Nepenthe has been a regular stop for us for a very very long time!)

I love Nepenthe. I'm so glad it was spared from the fires.
The views are amazing but the food has always been enjoyable. Never disappointed.
Thanks for the link, Andrew8.