(To All - please read with at least a slight sense of humor. A bit rambling, but what the heck. )

Dear Bob,

As a rather frequent diner at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club and also at the Ocean Pines Clubhouse, first let me say that upon advice of OPA General Manager John Viola, the OPA Board of Directors made the absolute best choice in leasing all OPA food and beverage operations to Touch of Italy.

Almost daily lunch at the Yacht Club bar, and once or twice a week dinner in the main restaurant, can show up inconsistencies. Very few. Your staff, beginning with you as Numero Uno (Godfather?), Chef d Cusia Peter Scioli (the hugger), Yacht Club Chef Nick Bertino (what's with all these Italians?), and all the others from the entrance folks, to bartenders, to servers to bus boys (is that politically correct?) - all first class and in adequate numbers.

I could name any number of great employees at the Yacht Club, but forgive me for singling out Garrett, a food runner - or whatever those folks are called. About to enter his Junior year at Salisbury University, Garrett has a unique ability to talk comfortably with people of any age and exhibits a terrific sense of humor.

He wasn't around for a day or two. When I next saw him, I said, "Garrett, I thought they fired you."

Not missing a beat, he replied, "They should have."

I tend to order the same things over and over. Wings with Old Bay; Chicken parmigiana; Margarita with ice and salt rim; coffee; a fresh-filled cannolo. Jeanette likes the salmon dinner.

OK. Enough praise. You already know how good you are.

Then again, in ancient Rome, a slave would continuously whisper "Remember you are mortal" in the ears of victorious restaurateurs, as they were paraded through the streets after serving spectacular meals.

Now, lets get back to the "very few" nits. No saltine crackers with a crabcake order. Crabcake is actually very good, but then there are the Baltimore-bred crabcake fanatics. Maybe nothing satisfies them.

For these sometimes misguided zealots, have a special stock, 100% jumbo lump and increase cost. Many were raised on steamed crabs and crabcakes at Bill Bond's Pump Room - corner of North Avenue and Howard Street. They are easy to recognize, tending to now walk sideways.

Pump Room desert? Half a sweet, ripe cantaloupe; core filled with rich vanilla ice cream.

Entertainment? A juke box with nothing on it but Vaughn Monroe records.

Well, the rich folks dined on jumbo steamed crabs flown in fresh nightly from Louisiana and all-jumbo-lump crabcakes. Others had to make do with coddies. Known in some parts as the poor man’s crabcake, Baltimore Coddies are a mashup of mashed potato and flaked salted cod. The texture and taste of salted codfish is similar to crab meat.

At one time plates of coddies were on every bar top - next to the large jars of big pickled white onions and pickled pigs feet. Cheap. Sometimes free. Eat on saltine crackers with spicy mustard. They lasted on the bar for at least a year with no refrigeration.

Add more pepperoni to the pepperoni flatbread. As a late friend liked to say -- "make the pepperoni densely populated and evenly distributed."

Coffee not always fresh or hot. Sometimes no spoon served with coffee. I'd say that's very few nits. Nit picking? Oldsters know nits are tiny lice eggs found somewhat frequently many years ago in human scalps.

However, as General George Patton might say, all the above "shrinks to insignificance" when it comes to my list of hopes and dreams for the menu.

Bobby, I'm down on both knees -- begging, truly begging for what would be the coup de grâce for the Yacht Club menu.

Make Sausage and Peppers available as an appetizer at the inside bar and restaurant area. Charge whatever is necessary to make a profit. Or add a serving of pasta and make it a $35 meal, priced at $30, ala the now world-renowned Touch of Italy $7 hot dog for $6.50.

Next, add appetizer dishes for the roasted red peppers and olives you served at the OPA volunteer appreciation dinner. To die for.

I'm down on both knees -- begging, truly begging.

Joe Reynolds, OceanPinesForum.com

***********

Image below:

Kinda like the Roman slave:

A Tough Customer 
Image Info: Who can forget. Bob Cipretti's opening visit for a OPA Town Hall. A trial by fire.

Someone called on the gentleman in the gray shirt to open the discussion and ask questions. He spent the next 15 minutes asking how OPA could get rid of you.

One of those memorable OPA moments.

I love this place.