Nepenthe Restaurant
48510 Highway 1, Big Sur
667-2345, www.nepenthebigsur.com
The outdoor dining at Nepenthe’s main restaurant and below at Cafe Kevah could be the setting for a sexy spy drama scene just before the super agent peels their sports car onto Highway 1 to chase down their villain. The kitchen’s antidote for road-weary travelers is the Ambrosia Burger (with its secret sauce), the Four Layer Fudge Cake for dessert and their infamous South Coast Margarita to serve as a sipper. Their menu and wine/cocktail program is part of the magic, but the real seduction of Nepenthe is that south-facing view of redwood-covered mountains and the Pacific, best absorbed on the big decks.