{"id":16731,"date":"2012-07-18T11:11:02","date_gmt":"2012-07-18T17:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=16731"},"modified":"2026-04-06T09:52:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T15:52:17","slug":"nepenthe-restaurant-big-sur-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=16731","title":{"rendered":"Nepenthe Restaurant – Big Sur, California"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nepenthe overlooks 50 miles of coastline<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With all the travails and vicissitudes of\u00a0 modern life, we can all use\u00a0 a respite or safe harbor to which we can escape…where we can take a break from all our worries.\u00a0 Big Sur, California, which most would consider an escape in and of itself has a dining destination which has been nourishing diners both physically and spiritually\u00a0 for more than six decades.\u00a0 It’s called Nepenthe, a Greek word which can be translated to “isle of no care,” “a place to find surcease from sorrow.” <\/span><\/p>\n

Lest you get the impression Nepenthe is a real-world Cheers tavern, it is oh, so much more.\u00a0 First, if there’s a true paradise on Earth (other than New Mexico, of course), it may well exist on the Central California coast in Big Sur, a seaside idyll which will take your breath away and calm you with its vast expanse of tranquil waters and spectacular views of towering redwoods and precipitous cliffs in a climate that can only be described as perfect. If such a seaside idyll has a heart and soul, it is Nepenthe. <\/span><\/p>\n

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View from our table of the magnificent Big Sur coastline<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The word “Nepenthe” first appears on the fourth book of Homer’s Odyssey<\/a>, though its reference wasn’t as a place of respite, but as a drug that elicited a calming state of mind. Nepenthe was a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness from pain or sorrow. Essentially, it was an anti-depressant or more precisely, an anti-sorrow drug. In the Odyssey, Nepanthe was first mentioned as having been given to Helen by an Egyptian queen to quell her sorrows with forgetfulness. Its use was widespread. Greek warriors wanting to dull their senses to impending danger took it before going to war.<\/span><\/p>\n

The definition best befitting Nepenthe is “isle of no care.”\u00a0 While a visit may not guarantee all your cares will fully dissipate, you can almost be assured that for the hour or so of your visit, you won’t feel as weighted down. Today many of its visitors are tourists, some of whom may not fully understand the cultural and spiritual significance of Nepenthe.\u00a0 Most of them (the adults anyway) nonetheless find themselves virtually entranced by the magnificent views.\u00a0 Some, like me, feel more spiritually awakened at Nepenthe in a manner many report feeling at Sedona, Santa Fe or Taos.\u00a0 It’s been that way almost from the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n

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California Artisinal Cheese Plate: Selection of California artisinal cheeses (Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Monterey Jack), with quince jam, apple chutney, fresh seasonal fruit (grapes, apricots) and crostini<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The history of Nepenthe is much more than the story of a restaurant.\u00a0 It is the story of a family, a culture and a very special place and time.\u00a0 In 1947, Bill and Lolly Fassett relocated with their five children to Big Sur where they purchased a log home perched on a hillside overlooking the coast.\u00a0 The home had been owned by Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth.\u00a0 The Fassetts envisioned an open-air pavilion with good food, wine dancing and a sense of community for Big Sur residents.\u00a0 It took two years to realize their vision.\u00a0 Aided by Rowan Maiden, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, they built their complex using native materials: redwoods hewn from area canyons and hand-made adobe bricks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before long Nepenthe became the epicenter of life at Big Sur, the hub of creative culture and the respite the Fassetts had envisioned.\u00a0 It was a home away from home for writers such as Henry Miller and actors such as Steve McQueen and Kim Novak.\u00a0 The variety of unique personalities and artists inhabiting Big Sur at its halcyon period for creative expression and Bohemian culture–people living on the fringes of mainstream and uninhibited by societal conventions–is probably best expressed in Miller’s Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch<\/em>, his love letter to his adopted home.\u00a0 The people of Miller’s tome were the people of Nepenthe.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Famous Ambrosiaburger: Nepenthe’s version of a ground steak sandwich, served on a French roll with its Famous Ambrosia Sauce.\u00a0 Served with a garden salad with bleu cheese<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a restaurant, Nepenthe established a reputation not only for its delicious food and the whimsy in naming its dishes, but for its commitment to exceptional caring service in a relaxed atmosphere. For Thanksgiving, Lolly would invite everyone in Big Sur, an extended family of flamboyant characters and bombastic personalities.\u00a0 Lolly’s granddaughter\u00a0Romney “Nani” Steele<\/a> chronicled the magical history of Nepenthe in a wonderful read called My Nepenthe:\u00a0Bohemian Tales of Food, Family, and Big Sur<\/a>.\u00a0 It comes very highly recommended by New Mexico’s own Deborah Madison<\/a>, by the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

You’ll want to get to Nepenthe early not only because waits can be rather long at peak times (12-1PM and 5-6PM), but because the best seating with the best views goes fast.\u00a0 Sure there’s ample seating indoors, but most will opt for some of the most spectacular al fresco dining in California with more than fifty miles of coastline visible on a clear day.\u00a0 The salubrious air and clear, cobalt skies are an elixir for whatever may ail you.\u00a0 It makes for some of the most relaxing dining anywhere as you contemplate the unmatched beauty of your surroundings.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A half basket of French fries is large enough for two of us AND the intrepid bird who swooped down for his share<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Nepenthe menu showcases the bounty of Big Sur’s local organic ingredients in serving simple foods redolent with flavor and freshness.\u00a0 Sandwiches and salads are featured fare for lunch with specials available daily.\u00a0 For dinner, the menu is a bit more upscale with steaks (premium naturally raised beef, free of chemicals, growth hormones and feed additives), grilled fresh fish, poultry and more.\u00a0 One commonality between lunch and dinner is the fabulous Ambrosiaburger.<\/span><\/p>\n

Appetizers also showcase California’s year-round harvests and freshly prepared local ingredients.\u00a0 There’s a strong sense of local pride evident in such featured fare as slow-roasted Gilroy garlic (with Laura Chenel<\/a> goat cheese from Sonoma), Castroville artichokes and a California Artisinal Cheese Plate<\/em>, a selection of California artisinal cheeses (Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese<\/a>, Point Reyes Blue Cheese<\/a>, Monterey Jack when we visited), with quince jam, apple chutney, fresh seasonal fruit (grapes, apricots) and crostini.\u00a0 The interplay between strong, pungent cheeses with sweet fruits is a gastronomic delight.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Half rack of\u00a0 ribs with a Hoisin barbecue sauce, corn-on-the-cob, Asian coleslaw (made with rice wine vinegar) and watermelon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The most famous item on the Nepenthe menu is aptly named the Ambrosiaburger<\/em>.\u00a0 That’s ambrosia as in the food of the gods and burger as in the favorite food of Americans everywhere.\u00a0 The first thing you’ll notice about the Ambrosiaburger is that it tastes like a very good\u00a0 coal-based brazier steak and indeed, the beef is actually a ground steak sandwich.\u00a0 The beef is ground fresh every morning and procured from a specialty butcher. \u00a0 The six-ounce beef patty is perfectly seasoned and so pink and juicy even at medium, you’ll wonder if it isn’t a bit undercooked.\u00a0 The Ambrosiaburger is served on a delicious, buttered and toasted French roll with the restaurant’s famous “Ambrosia sauce,” a zesty mayonnaise-tomato sauce-salsa based concoction.\u00a0 You can add Swiss or Cheddar cheese for a pittance more.\u00a0 To add anything else would be to desecrate what is one of the very best burgers I’ve ever had.\u00a0 Perhaps it’s because of my affection for the Ambrosiaburger that In-N-Out<\/a> seemed so very pedestrian in comparison. \u00a0 The burger is served with your choice of garbanzo-kidney bean salad, crunchy coleslaw or tossed green salad (the housemade bleu cheese dressing is fabulous).<\/span><\/p>\n

The special of the day when we visited was a half-rack of ribs<\/em> with a Hoisin barbecue sauce, corn-on-the-cob, Asian coleslaw and watermelon.\u00a0 If that sounds like the perfect ingredients for a picnic under one of nature’s most spectacular venue, that’s exactly what it is.\u00a0 The Hoisin barbecue sauce is slathered on rather thickly, but its sweetness is cut with ingredients which are more savory.\u00a0 The ribs are meaty and fall-off-the-bone tender.\u00a0 You’ll be happy to have your cheeks rouged with the sauce as you devour each delicious rib.\u00a0 The Asian coleslaw is made with a rice wine vinegar instead of a creamy mayo based coleslaw.\u00a0 It makes for a tangy-sweet coleslaw.\u00a0 The corn-on-the-cob is fresh and sweet with the flavor that says summer as does the sweet, juicy watermelon.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Banana cream pie with two scoops of Breyer’s chocolate ice cream<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dessert menu lists five items including the aforementioned California Artisanal Cheese Plate and a Triple Berry Pie (raspberries, strawberries and boysenberries).\u00a0 Our super attentive server recommended the day’s special, a banana cream pie.\u00a0 Interestingly, she suggested we have it with two scoops of Breyer’s chocolate ice cream.\u00a0 Her recommendations were spot-on in both counts.\u00a0 The pie is served cold and has a pronounced banana flavor that doesn’t taste artificial.\u00a0 It’s not an overly sweet pie, especially when it shares a spoon with the chocolate ice cream.\u00a0 Gilligan never had a banana cream pie this good (sorry Mary Ann).<\/span><\/p>\n

In our week-long stay at Big Sur, we experienced several excellent meals and one transformative experience.\u00a0 That was at Nepenthe, a restaurant which truly is an isle of no care.\u00a0 It’s the idyll I’ll think about whenever the cares of the day become tough to deal with.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Nepenthe Restaurant<\/strong><\/span>
\n48510 Hwy 1 \"Map.81c0ebd\"<\/a>
\nBig Sur, California<\/strong>
\n(831) 667-2345
\nWeb Site<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 18 July 2012
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 1
\nRATING<\/strong>: N\/R
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: The Famous Ambrosiaburger, California Artisinal Cheese Plate, Hoisin Rib Plate, Banana Cream Pie a la mode, French Fries <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With all the travails and vicissitudes of\u00a0 modern life, we can all use\u00a0 a respite or safe harbor to which we can escape…where we can take a break from all our worries.\u00a0 Big Sur, California, which most would consider an escape in and of itself has a dining destination which has been nourishing diners both physically and spiritually\u00a0 for more than six decades.\u00a0 It’s called Nepenthe, a Greek word which can be translated to “isle of no care,” “a place to find surcease from sorrow.” Lest you get the impression Nepenthe is a real-world Cheers tavern, it is oh, so much more.\u00a0 First, if there’s a true paradise on Earth (other than New Mexico, of course), it may well exist…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,46,5647,553],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american","category-california","category-rating-n-r","category-across-america"],"yoast_head":"\nNepenthe Restaurant - 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