But here's the part of story I didn't know at the time.
In 1925, a group of Christian Scientists from Principia College came to California. They hired local master carpenter Sam Trotter to build a three-story log house on the edge of a cliff in Big Sur, which they planned to use as a private resort. By the early 1940s, they were no longer using the cabin and had rented it.
In May 1944, actor Orson Welles and his wife Rita Hayworth were in San Francisco to sell U.S. government war bonds. They were paid for their appearance with gas coupons and decided to use the coupons to drive back to Los Angeles along Highway 1. During their drive, they stopped to picnic and drove up an unmarked dirt road where they found the cabin. They loved the view, found a realtor and learned they could buy it that day. Between the two of them, they produced a cash down payment of slightly more than $156.00 to close the deal. They were divorced in 1947 and never returned. The Fassett family bought the cabin and the surrounding 12 acres from Welles and Hayworth and moved in with their five children. They hired architect Rowan Maiden, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, to design the restaurant using local materials including redwood and adobe bricks.
The terrace dining tables have a long view over the coast to the south. That's where we sat. The restaurant is known for its Bohemian look and feel, belly dancing, and poetry readings. We missed out on the dancing and the poetry, but definitely got the Bohemian look and feel.
