Comments on: My Granola, and the new giveaway

By: Marci

Marci — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:06:22 +0000

Our first trip to Nepenthe was in 1984 on our trip down the coast from San Fransisco to Laguna. We were so enchanted, we were there for hours. There were mud slides further down the highway so we had to trek back north and down a inner road to San Simeon, but it was worth every mile! We loved it there so much, we took a menu and had it hanging in our first apartment, reminding us to return whenever we went to California.
We returned to California in 1987. This time we drove with our California friends from a vacation in Lake Tahoe specifically to Nepenthe for another great meal, great view and a great afternoon!
Whenever we hear anyone going to California, we tell them they must stop there to eat, to drink, to sit and enjoy Nepenthe. Thank you for this book. I am ordering it to add to my collection!

By: Jay Kunkle

Jay Kunkle — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:05:55 +0000

Finished the book last weekend….so sad to finish it, but absolutley loved it! We are going to try some of the recipes this weekend.
Having grown up in Carmel, I have many fond memories of Nepenthe and driving down the Coast to Big Sur (one of the most beautiful drives in the world). However, my very first memory of Nepenthe was as a young child – I don’t even know how old I was – it must have been the late 1960’s. It was breezy, but sunny. I remeber the windchimes, the view, the candy sticks in the gift shop (I think you mentioned them in the book – took me right back) and an overall feeling of being in a magical place. I haven’t been up to Big Sur in awhile (I live in Southern California now. Reading the book made me long to be back….maybe its time for a drive up the Coast.
I asked my parents about their memories of Nepenthe, and my Mom told me that was their special date spot when they were dating (and after they were married). I didn’t know that.
Cheers!

By: Annieg

Annieg — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:08:44 +0000

I have many great memories of Big Sur visits while I was living in the Monterey Bay, going to school at the Monterey Institute. I met my husband while we were students in Monterey. We would often go with friends to Big Sur, including Nepenthe. A special place for us to go was Pfeiffer Beach…. the turn off is not marked well, and the road is not always easy to pass…. but once there, the wind, the water, and the rocks draw us in. It is such a magical place on earth. We have great memories… We went back to Monterey in 08 to visit Pfeiffer Beach and Nepenthe and bring our 2 girls there- ages 6 and 3. We were bummed to find out that we couldn’t get to either, because of the fires. We were traveling from Monterey to Cayucos to visit friends – and had to take Hwy 101. From there we could see the smoke from the fires- but with Hwy 1 impassable at the time… we had to forgo visiting Big Sur. We were so bummed- and so were our kids. We followed the news and blogs- watching and waiting. We were so worried about Nepenthe, about many Big Sur places.. So glad it survived! We will be back- and we’ll show Big Sur to our kids… especially Pfeiffer Beach and lunch at Nepenthe!!