Best of 2001: Best Scottish Hamburgers

Nessy Burger
at Highway 76 and Old Highway 395, near Pala Mesa Village

Up on the windy heights inland from Oceanside, where Route 76 meets Old Highway 395, a little piece of Scotland survives. Alistair, an ex-gamekeeper from Inverness who says he has seen the Loch Ness Monster, and Sandy, his California lady, have set up an old Navy Exchange trailer as a canteen. They serve "Nessy Burgers." No, they're not fishburgers. "They're the nearest thing to the big old Aberdeen Angus burgers you get in Scotland," says Sandy. This summit settlement, with a Mobil station and a huge dusty rest stop for truckers, is a long way from anywhere. But what a location! The San Luis Rey river winding below, hilltops, avocado and orange orchards -- the gedunk with the million-dollar view. It gives you an appetite, so ask for the Hungry Trucker Breakfast (a half-pound Nessy Burger with two fried eggs on top). And while you're chewing, look at one of the books from their library of Nessy literature.