Bilvil: a beach cafe, a state of mind

Friday, June 27, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by CAROL HARVAT Bil and Sandi Shockley stand on the side of Bilvil, a beach cafe, which opened in February in North Beach and boosts using fresh local products in its American-style cuisine. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Bil Shockley, who legally changed his name to Bil with one ‘l’, began the venture of Bilvil, a beach cafe, nearly two years ago when he and his wife Sandi decided to purchase two beach cottages around the corner from Bay Avenue on 7th Street in North Beach and convert them into a restaurant.

Shockley, a chef with a light-mannered sense of humor, said he didn’t see why his name needed an extra ‘‘ l,” citing that the names Tom or Ken do not have an extra letter.

Several of Shockley’s past customers came into Bilvil, which opened in February, and said they saw the restaurant’s name and knew it was his new restaurant, Shockley said.

The restaurant was a 1920s beach cottage and then a boarding house in the 1940s and the Shockleys said that wanted to keep the character of the place and use original items as part of the decor. The architecture and the builders were both wonderful in bringing out the vision of a family-friendly beach cafe atmosphere, Sandi Shockley said. Sandi, who decorated the interior, said she used items from the original cottage, local art and places fresh cut herbs on the clothed tables for a homey feeling.

Bil Shockley designed the restaurant’s kitchen and tended to obtaining all the necessary permits prior to opening, saying it was a lengthy process.

Bil Shockley, a graduate of the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, said he enjoys creating dishes and uses all fresh ingredients in his recipes.

‘‘The menu is all Bil’s creations. He’s the artist,” Sandi Shockley said.

‘‘We want to keep it fresh and keep it local,” Bil Shockley said. Each season he creates dishes that use locally grown products. ‘‘I wait to hear from the growers before I decide on the seasonal menu,” he said.

Shockley just compiled his summer menu which features garden gazpacho, salad caprese (tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella), stuffed summer peppers and whiskey soaked steak. Bilvil’s standard fare menu includes hand-carved New York steak, crab cakes and crab and citrus stuffed chicken breast.

The Shockleys include Southern Maryland wines from Friday’s Creek and Solomons Island wineries in the extensive wine selections listing wines from several countries and have a variety of bottled beers. And for the younger ones, a children’s menu with entertaining games is available.

During the interview a local waterman came by the restaurant saying that he had several soft-shell crabs to sell, and Shockley purchased all of them and said that they will be a part of the weekend menu. Shockley said he believes in buying local and making all his products himself, including all the breads and desserts at the restaurant.

Shockley said he also believes in recycling and composting. A neighbor collects compost and, in return, gives the restaurant fresh herbs and flowers. Sandi Shockley also tends an edible garden of her own in front of the restaurant, and a small vegetable garden in back.

Shockley’s career as a restaurateur began when he purchased Neptune’s Restaurant in North Beach in 1984 with six family members. He then opened his own restaurant, Italia by the Bay, in 1996. He was the chef and operator for 10 years, but did not own the building, he said, making it difficult to maintain the property the way he wanted.

Bilvil is a ‘‘state of mind,” Shockley said.

He told the story of the word’s origin, which came from meanderings years ago with a friend who was a pilot as they talked about what they would do if they won the mega-million lottery. They agreed they would buy an island, where Shockley would be the chef for his friend, who would fly in for meals. The friend called the island Bil’s village, but Shockley said he offered Bilvil for the island’s name.

‘‘It’s a place where we were going to end up,” Shockley said.

With Bilvil, ‘‘We reached the island, even though we didn’t win the lottery,” he said. Shockley added that the restaurant is like his dream come true, but it’s a lot more work than Bilvil’s lottery musings island.

The restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and then re-opens for dinner hours from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on weekend days and until 10 p.m. on weekends.

The restaurant opens at 2 p.m. on Sunday and is closed on Tuesday.