We head out for Bentleys. We had noticed the sign when we were walking up the cliffs this morning and had Percy point it out on the way back to HSH this afternoon. I knew to turn at No Limits, which was hopping and head up the road. I remember a story about someone asking a taxi to drop them off at Bentleys and being taken to the wrong restaurant. We pass the wrong restaurant. As we approach Bentleys a man is coming down the stairs. Before we can really ask he is saying “Yah, mon, this is the place, go on up, you gonna enjoy this!” We get up to the deck and there is Bentley talking with a couple of young girls. They turn to us with very big smiles, “Hello!” “Are you Bentley?” we ask. “Yah, mon, that’s me, Bentley!” I am so happy, “We came for crab cakes!” “I’m going to cook you some crab cakes!” says Bentley and he starts to move. I don’t think he really stopped moving until he sat down with us at dinner much later.
He goes into his bit which I don’t want to repeat entirely cause it’s his and it’s great. Some of my favorite phrases, which get repeated every now and then – “I’m going to cook for you” if he does, you’re lucky. Once he starts this is replaced by “I’m cooking for you.” “Five things” which is the number of things you’ll get on you’re plate if you order the crab cakes, all awesome. “You need another beer?” cause you will, and if you understand where you are and what you’re doing and who you’re with you won’t care if it’s the third or fourth or fifth time he’s asked since he started cooking for YOU.
A big stocky guy with a clean shaven head shows up to a raucous greeting from Bentley. He knows I am going to write something up but I didn’t ask his name so for the sake of discretion I’m just going to call him ScubaPro. Bentley is very upset that ScubaPro didn’t call him earlier, he said he would. They banter back and forth and the make good is that ScubaPro has to cook dinner for Bentley. Turns out ScubaPro is boarding with Bentley. He gets underway butchering a chicken for himself and Bentley. The Barrel gets it’s fire going.
We’re just a few slugs into our first Stripe lights – “Refreshing, light, You can drink a lot of them!” is Bentleys selling point – When Sweetie Pie scoots her seat and knocks over her beer and has most of it end up in her lap. Bentley and ScubaPro laugh when they see it. “A lot of beers get spilled at that table!” they say.
We talk to ScubaPro as he is preparing the fire. He is a very high end diver, the toughest dive work out there. Zero visibility stuff. I comment on the mental focus and toughness required for that kind of work, the need to keep your spatial awareness in a world with no physical cues. He digs that, says most people don’t get that at all and if they do it’s not until they’ve known him for awhile. There is some serious mutual effective flattery going on.