By Raymond Napolitano

ROYAL FAREWELL...HER ROYAL HIGHNESS QUEEN ANN OF WINCHESTER''s Monterey Holiday is winding down. She and PRINCESS SWEET THING were invited to attend LADY DOROTHY OF BATH''S Annual Holiday Hospitality Luncheon at the OLD BATH HOUSE. This is the 10th year that Lady Dorothy and the Bath House have hosted this "thank you" to area hospitality professionals who have shown friendship to the revered local dining institution.

The Bath House spared no expense as Chef BORIS ILABACA and SOUS CHEF ARMANDO CUEVAS unleashed a fabulous three-course lunch fit for royalty. Waiter GEORGE BARKER, a 20-year veteran of the Old Bath House, served the Royal Family at the head table. In addition to Her Royal Highness Queen Ann and Princess Sweet Thing, Lady Dorothy also welcomed IL GRAN MAESTRO DELLA CUCINA, SIGNORE ALBERTO BONATELLI of Alberto''s, JEFF "SIR JEFFREY OF THE FOREST" JAKE, of the Pebble Beach Com-pany and THE DUKE AND DUTCHESS STIDHAM, owners of the Breakers Cafe in PG.

The biggest reason the Old Bath House has remained a great venue for refined, yet comfortable dining is the ongoing efforts of Lady Dorothy, who always understands how much effort and caring go into the average workday in the restaurant/hospitality industry. We all tip (tip, did someone say tip?) our hats to Lady Dorothy, a true queen of the industry. Thanks, Lady Dorothy.

MCCARTNEY AND PAVONA..."Good things come to good people." During one of my other incarnations-as a basketball coach-I worked with a guy named CHIP BOES who always used that saying. It definitely applies to RICHARD KANAKARIS, president of PAVONA WINES. Pavona was recently selected to create wines for THE GARLAND APPEAL, a cancer research charity endorsed and supported by SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY. The Garland Appeal was established in both the US and the UK in memory of McCartney''s late wife LINDA after she succumbed to the disease.

Kanakaris, a long-time McCartney fan, was able to parlay long hours of work into this great collaboration. The unique Chardonnay-Blanc, a blend of barrel-fermented Monterey County Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, will carry the specially designed Garland Appeal label, a beautiful delicate design that carries the spirit of the project.

JEFF MCBRIDE, a close friend of KANAKARIS, pointed out that during the 18th century there was an Italian composer named Pietro Alessandro Pavona whose birthday coincides with the day Paul McCartney met JOHN LENNON. Now, a couple of hundred years later, Richard Kanakaris is conducting the Pavona orchestra into the 21st century, keeping the music alive through his association with one of our era''s greatest performers.

The wines will appear on the market soon so go out and support this worthy endeavor.

NEW JOINT...McBride keeps telling me about a great little eating establishment on the near end of Cannery Row by the dive shop. It''s called the PADDLE CLUB, and it serves up great homemade items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Apparently, the owner/chef used to work at FLAHERTY''S and is in business with his brother-in-law who works at the CHART HOUSE.

Jeff has been gnawing at me to check this place out-it''s a hidden gem that nobody has discovered yet. I will certainly pay it a visit soon. Check it out and see what Jeff is raving about. The Paddle Club, 299 Cannery Row, 372-7298.

PEPPERY STOCKING STUFFER... Believe it or not, I don''t get that excited about much anymore, especially regarding restaurant-related items. However, the other night I was sitting around with TED "TEDDY TWO-PUTTS" WALTER and SCOTT "WHIPLASH" THOMASEN at PASSIONFISH when Michael Kokkinos stopped by. Michael, a long-time food and wine industry veteran and owner of Mediterraneo Imports in Sand City, has created one of the coolest restaurant products I''ve ever seen.

Michael, who also has PEPPER MILL IMPORTS (his are those great metal beauties like the one Pisto uses on his television show) has come up with a small (five inches tall) stainless steel gem that works by pushing down on a spring-loaded plunger with your thumb. Designed for waiters to carry in a handy sheath or to place on the table, this great looking, expertly crafted, lifetime-guaranteed star of a pepper mill is taking over restaurateurs'' minds coast to coast.

A finalist for Best New Product at the recent International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York, Michael''s pepper mill has been fielding orders from everywhere. BERNARDUS LODGE has been reordering like crazy because after seeing them in action, customers have been buying them like hotcakes. To get a look at them check out www.peppermillimports.com and scroll to the bottom. Call Michael at 393-0244 or fax 393-0801. Right on, Michael, great idea.

-Send your seasonings to ray@coastweekly.com