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Bilvil, a state of mind, and a beach cafe with a garden
Around town
Friday, June 5, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by DARWIN WEIGEL
Bil Shockley, owner of Bilvil in North Beach, poses with his strawberry with poblano chili pepper salad, shown below, and grilled polenta with black bean and vegetable ragu.
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If you are dining at Bilvil for the first time, co-owner Sandi Shockley might lead you to a table and fill you in on the cottage's ethos.
Sandi Shockley and her husband, co-owner and chef Bil Shockley, say Bilvil — with its edible garden strewn with oyster shells viewable from the 7th Street sidewalk in North Beach — supports local farms, watermen and wineries; grows its own herbs and some produce; and makes everything from scratch in-house, including bread and the butter icing that coats a moist slice of carrot cake.
As it happens, Bilvil's business model was recently recognized by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development as well as the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners for its economic impact and contribution to improving local quality of life and business.
The Maryland Department of Foodies, on the other hand, if such a department ever existed, might recognize — altruism and green values aside — Bilvil's contribution to local cuisine. After all, when it comes down to it, protein procured from local waters and greens hauled no farther than from a local farm is really just a potential recipe for the best, most memorable food.
Bil Shockley, who legally had the second "l" axed from his name, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He bought Neptune's Restaurant in North Beach with six family members in 1984 and operated Italia by the Bay for a decade beginning in 1996.
Bilvil is a "state of mind," Bil Shockley told The Calvert Recorder. Years ago, he and a friend mused about what they would do if they won the lottery; they agreed to buy an island, named Bilvil, where Shockley would be the chef.
Rather than buy an island, the Shockleys have created a restaurant that complements Seventh Street's funky charm. Through the years, the spot has been a home and a boarding house. The Shockleys, in turn, have managed to carve out an intimate place with real personality and a variety of seating.
One can dine outdoors beneath an umbrella or inside a dining room noted for a bookshelf with titles such as "The Art of Eating" and "The International Squid Cookbook." My wife, Emily, and I sat on the street-side indoor porch, where the staff checked on us frequently, and the atmosphere soothed us like the sea might.
Because the menu, though relatively small, is all over the place, it would take several visits here to get a grip on what Bil Shockley is really up to. Even so, Emily and I were genuinely impressed with what we sampled, and it seems like, in time, Bilvil will successfully win over an array of palettes. Perhaps with clean yet savory vegetarian meals, like the open-faced grilled veggie melt ($7.95), or with meaty "new American cuisine," like the Caribbean pork roast with beans and greens.
Salads, meantime, transcend the average version. Of the four, one finds a shallow bowl of leafy spinach leaves moderately drenched with warm bacon dressing — an intense salt and vinegar taste — accentuated by bacon bits, caramelized onions and mushrooms ($8). Another salad costs about half as much and might be a nice one to share. The inventive arrangement has tart strawberries with mild poblano chili peppers, several slices of avocado and greens (including a Swiss chard leaf). At the center of it all was a small block of crËme fraiche, European-style sour cream that mixed well with everything around it.
Appetizers, called small plates, range in price from about $4 to $9. They include meatball parmesan, zucchini stuffed with beef and thinly sliced tuna.
Bilvil's menu allows for an affordable lunch or perhaps a pricier dinner. Divided between sandwiches and entrees, each has about a dozen options that are likely to turn over with a new season. Also, while the restaurant keeps separate hours for lunch and dinner (expect for Sundays), the menu is the same for both.
For now, the entrée list has Italian dishes and seafood options like a tuna steak ($18.95) or crab cake dinner ($27.95). More exotic picks include orange soy-brined roast chicken with macaroni and cheese ($16.95) or Bilvil's version of a steak and cheese ($26.95) — as in filet mignon with Italian blue cheese, mushrooms and a French red wine sauce, served with fries.
Though tempted by the grilled polenta dish ($14.95), Emily was pleased with the veggie melt, which came with the soup of the day — a light potato leak with a nice, creamy flavor — and a side of chickpeas. From across the table, it looked like little more than a vegetable pile covered with a blanket of cheese — but it was so much more, and an example of Bilvil's technique of preparing dishes simply to showcase the ingredients' unadulterated zing.
In this case, it was fresh bread, not to mention spinach, zucchini, tomato, red peppers, onions, fresh mozzarella and what appeared to be a flavorful roux.
And let's not forget my generous portion of ultra-tender pork roast, an authentic comfort dish paired with black beans and cabbage, spiced with pepper and garnished with a magenta edible flower.
Bilvil
4114 7th St., North Beach
Hours: 5-9 p.m. Monday, closed Tuesday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8p.m. Sunday
Entree prices: $7-$27
Credit cards: V, AE, MC, V
Phone: 410-286-7214
