Sierra Mar - Big Sur

If you're in the area of the Big Sur, Sierra Mar is a restaurant you should consider.

Sierra Mar is the restaurant that is part of Post Ranch Inn, and supremely expensive resort where rooms start around $800 or $900 per night. Fortunately, you do not have to stay there to eat. The most striking feature of the restaurant is its location. It is perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean: http://www.postranchinn.com/dining/ Every table is either next to a window, or on a raised area where you can clearly see over those seated by the window. What everyone does is time the dinner reservation so that you eat while the sun sets. While fog can sometimes cover the show, our night we got to watch the entire sunset into the Pacific. They even have two outdoor perches where you can take a picture overlooking the Pacific. It was magnificent.

The next question is whether the food lives up to the setting. Perhaps the nearness to a sophisticated crowd from Silicon Valley, San Fran, etc., or for whatever reasons, the food was excellent. They offer either a four course or a nine course tasting menu. We opted for the 9 course, and it was very good. Lot's of local ingredients, well prepared and very creatively plated. Would this be destination dining without the view? I'm not sure, but we enjoyed every course, and when combined with the view, this is a very special place.

To dine there, you either have to stay in the Big Sur, or perhaps Carmel or Monterey. The latter places would be about an hour and a quarter drive. Even that is a long drive to and from a meal, but that might work. We stayed 10 minutes away in the heart of the Big Sur, which is, if you can, the way to go.