Without the large black and white sign featuring a motorcyclist's silhouette, few people strolling down Elliewood Avenue would notice that the converted house is actually the Buddhist Biker Bar & Grill.
Although there are neither bikers nor Buddhists present in this low-key eating establishment, visitors can certainly delight in the bizarre, though casual atmosphere of the Bar. Co-owner Kevin Schoeder said he and his partners wanted to come up with a name for the restaurant that was anything but the norm.
"I used to work at a lot of upscale restaurants," Schoeder said. "The Buddhist Biker Bar was the one name that we could come up with that we thought would scare off pretentious people."
Schoeder is one of several partners who own the Bar, which opened in the fall of 1997. Schoeder has cooked his whole life and even spent a year in culinary school in Switzerland. Later, he returned to the U.S. where he worked in two upscale restaurants. He then worked with his partners to set up a catering business in the Charlottesville area. The Buddhist Biker Bar & Grill "was set up mainly so that we could run our catering business and a restaurant at the same time," Schoeder said. The Biker Bar now runs an active catering business.
The laid-back atmosphere of the converted house lends charm and originality that differs from other Corner restaurants.
"The converted house definitely adds to the comfort factor," Schroeder said.
He said he wanted the casual feel of the restaurant to play a large part in molding its character.
"I wanted a place where I could cook and have my friends come and not their parents. I didn't want a place where you would have to dress up and pay a huge bill for the meal," he added.
The Buddhist Biker Bar & Grill is scantly furnished, with simple tables and chairs lining the walls. The dim lighting in the restaurant comes mainly from the colored Christmas lights strung throughout. A room in the back houses the low-ceilinged bar as well as a dining area and a small, boxy fireplace. The simple menus list dishes whose prices end in strange numbers ($6.44 for Pulled Duck Quesadilla, for example).
Schoeder, who cooks in the kitchen several nights each week, said the menu changes every four weeks or so.
If the unorthodox exterior and interior of the Bar seem a bit odd, the food certainly erases any doubts. The Pulled Duck Quesadilla appetizer was delicious; the outer shells lacked the greasy feel of most quesadillas and were filled with a fresh black bean mixture as well as tender duck meat.
The entrees' flavors surpassed the appetizer. The Chicken Mohale dish was served in a cream sauce and was accompanied by spicy zucchini and flat slabs of baked potatoes. The chicken was fresh, as were both the vegetables. The oversized Cheese Tortellini dish was served with a cream of tomato-like sauce that erred on the sweeter side. A Risotto dinner special, however, was the meal's superior entrée. The creamy, rich risotto was topped with a medley of shittake mushrooms and red peppers.
The fine quality of food at the Buddhist Biker Bar & Grill also translates into higher prices. A meal for three without drinks came to just over $40. The appetizers run just under $7, while the entrees run anywhere from $10 to $20 each. Though the meal was not a cheap date, the gourmet dishes and the attentive wait staff warrant a trip back.
Perhaps due to its flavorful fare, Schoeder said the restaurant continues to grow in popularity, especially in recent months.
The restaurant "is an ongoing project for us. As we get more business we can expand on the aesthetics of the place. It's evolving," he said.
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