[Photographs: Erin Jackson]

The drive up (or down) Highway 1 in California is jam-packed with stunning scenery and enough Kodak moments to fill even the highest capacity memory card. State parks and designated scenic overlooks are a great place to stop, along with Nepenthe, a restaurant that serves up jaw-dropping views and tasty burgers.

Nepenthe is located in Big Sur, about three miles from Pfeiffer State Park and 800 feet above sea level. Indoor seating is available, but the best seats are outside, where you can look out on an unobstructed view of trees, mountains, and the ocean below. Luckily, the pace of service is on the slow side, which allows for drawn-out contemplation of the scenery.

Nepenthe's menu, which hasn't changed in 60 years, has one burger: the Ambrosia Burger. Billed as an interpretation of a steak sandwich, the burger is made from 80/20 coarse ground beef that is delivered fresh to the restaurant three times a week by the Sierra Meat Company (the cuts that make up the Ambrosia burger beef are a trade secret). The beef is hand-formed into 6-ounce patties, grilled, and topped with Ambrosia sauce (which, according to the recipe, is a blend of ketchup, mayo, and mild chile salsa).

This burger is short on ingredients, but huge on payoff. It's a great example of how when you start with excellent quality ingredients and cook with care, the results are simply delicious. Case in point: the Ambrosia burger's bun. Baked as a special order by Beckmann's Old World Bakery in Santa Cruz, the slightly sweet and light, yet deliciously chewy French roll—like a hybrid between a buttery croissant and a dinner roll—sets the stage for a memorable burger. The bun was different than typical burger buns, and it really worked. The bun is so good that it could stand alone and be perfectly satisfying (though not terribly filling).

The patty was cooked medium rare and was dripping with rich, beefy juice. The cheese upgrade is essential, and well worth it. The two thick slices of cheddar cheese blanketed the burger, lending sharp flavor notes and smooth texture. The namesake sauce ended up soaking into the bread and co-mingling with the juice from the burger so much that it tasted like it was basted in it. The flavor was subtle and slightly tangy.

At first, I was disappointed that the burger was so naked, and wondered if the reason the standard ingredients are absent is because the restaurant is so remote. No matter what the case, my initial disappointment faded quickly. The juice-bomb of a burger on a sweet and squishy bun had such an appealing mouthfeel that it was equally rewarding in its own way.

The burger is served with a pickle spear and a salad, which is really just a handful of iceberg lettuce doused in the dressing of your choice, topped with a few grape tomatoes. Shoestring fries, bean salad, and coleslaw are available as substitutes, but all of the options amount to filler. The star of this meal is the hamburger, with the view coming in at a very close second.