My husband and I had just finished a satisfying and hearty meal at the restaurant at Deetjen's Big Sur Inn. Our candlelit table was in a cozy room with a cat curled up on a chair in front of a burning fireplace.

“Who’s that?” I asked the waiter, pointing to the portrait above our table.

“Why that's Grandpa Deetjen,” he said with an impish smile.

It's difficult to say who Grandpa Deetjen was. The facts alone only say so much: Helmuth Deetjen, born in Norway, longtime resident of Big Sur, married to Helen Haight.

But you can get to know Grandpa Deetjen, who died in 1972, by getting to know this place. Bill De Groat, who was Deetjen's chef for 30 years, is quoted in Anita Alan’s book “Big Sur Inn: The Deetjen Legacy” as having said the inn “was a reflection of Deetjen’s inner life. It wasn't a commercial enterprise”

It still isn’t. Deetjen’s is a nonprofit, managed by the Deetjen's Big Sur Inn Preservation Foundation. And preserving it, they are. A couple at the table next to ours had been to Deetjen’s in the1960s, and said that it was exactly the same.

Deetjen began construction on the inn during the Depression, building the barn that now houses the restaurant out of redwood cut from the surrounding land and materials scavenged from the canneries in Monterey.

The glass in the windows has a distinct, wavy texture to it. It’s the original glass that Grandpa Deetjen foraged in King City and hauled over the Santa Lucia Mountains by mule.

Built-in shelving and detailed carving are Grandpa Deetjen's hallmarks, influenced by his Norwegian roots. In the restaurant, the shelves are filled with antique dishes and random curios.

The restaurant is divided up into various rooms, each one telling a distinct story. There's the fireplace room, with Grandpa's picture overlooking it, and the cat curled up on a chair. Grandpa Deetjen was an animal person and had no shortage of cats and dogs around the property.

Then there's the family room, the center of which is a long table with two benches that Deetjen crafted by hand, using pegs instead of nails to hold the wood together. This is where Grandpa held court, offering “gravy” — his code word for wine — to guests he particularly liked.

In the music corner of the family room is a sign carved by Stokes Evans, Deetjen's handyman and good friend, that reads: “Within these sacred portals revenge and hate must cease. The souls of straying mortals in love will find release”

The quote is from Mozart's “Magic Flute,” one of Deetjen's favorites. He was a classical music enthusiast, and always played his favorite composers, from Beethoven to Vivaldi, at dinner.

There are lots of signs posted around Deetjen’s, another manifestation of his personality. He had a penchant for poetry and philosophy, and though he was scarce with words, when he did speak, he tended to coin witty adages.

Tucked away in another corner of the restaurant is the Robinson Jeffers shrine featuring a bust of the poet and various articles of memorabilia. Jeffers and Deetjen were fast friends, kindred spirits in their loves of poetry and Big Sur.

Indeed, the Big Sur Inn is Deetjen’s own form of poetry. We were introduced to him via the restaurant, appreciating the myriad turns of phrase in the details of the carving and items placed there. I am glad to have made his acquaintance.

Contact Aeron Noe at aer.noe@gmail.com.

{ dinner served at 6 p.m. daily Deetjen's Big Sur Inn and Restaurant, 48865 Highway 1, Big Sur. Details: 667-2377 or www.deetjens.com. } Taking notes

Deetjen’s is known for its communal journals located throughout the 20 rustic rooms. Inspired by the rooms’ unique charm and stories, guests write their own additions and leave their words behind for others to enjoy. Room rates range from $75 to $195, taxes included.

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