Bibou

[mattohara]

The signs are up in the window! There's a new bar. The carpet is gone in favor of a hard floor. Those tiny bathrooms have been redone and made into one larger bathroom. The private back room is no longer available; it's been redone as an apartment and rented out. Most of the rest remains the same, if cleaned and painted. I think it's only a matter of weeks before we have a new French BYOB around the corner.

The owners are very warm and welcoming. They're a bit disappointed that recent press has cast them in the 'typical snooty French' light but they seem very eager to get started nonetheless. Between Cochon and Bibou (literally) I feel lucky to be in this neighborhood.

[Andrew Fenton]

Sacre bleu! Another French BYOB can't be a bad thing.

They're a bit disappointed that recent press has cast them in the 'typical snooty French' light

Which press is that? Most of what I've seen about Bibou has been pretty anodyne (like this short piece in Philadelphia Magazine). The menu looks good!

Edited May 3, 2009 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[mattohara]

We’ve seen a lot of new French places open up in the last year. What will set Bibou apart?

Well, many of those places have chefs that are not French. I’m French. I trained in French kitchens for 12 years. It will be totally authentic.

Right, I guess that's not so bad. And neither is this, really, from when it that bit was referenced in Foobooz.

What will set Bibou apart?” The answer is just so French!

He just said something about his answers being taken the wrong way.

[mattohara]

They're accepting reservations. Cash-only. Phone is being hooked up today but if you want to make a reservation right away you can email biboubyob at comcast.net.

Edited May 5, 2009 by mattohara (log)

[Buckethead]

They're accepting reservations.  Cash-only.  Phone is being hooked up today but if you want to make a reservation right away you can email biboubyob at comcast.net.

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When do they open?

[mattohara]

Wednesday (tomorrow).

!

edited to add their phone:

215 965 8290

biboubyob at comcast.net

Edited May 5, 2009 by mattohara (log)

[TarteTatin]

Pierre , the chef/owner had been running the Le Bec Fin kitchen for years. His wife-Charlotte will be in the dining room.

It is located in the former Pif location. .. there is a city parking lot next to it.

Bibou

Opening on May 6th 2009

1009 South 8th street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215.965.8290 or 215.767.0731

biboubyob@comcast.net

Wednesday to Sunday diner

« Bring Your Own Bottle »

~ Cash only ~

Reservation recommended

Craig Laban on today's live chat seems happy about it.

[mattohara]

Since I hate the uploading/posting process for pics on eG I'll just post a link to my flickr set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/set...57617829338690/

Since I used to wait tables there I can say with impunity that the level of service is a notch above what it was at Pif. I think David Ansill tried a similar approach when he first opened Pif but gradually he moved away from it when he started having 3 seatings on weekends. It just gets really tough to reset all of those tables with people lined up out the door and standing at the bar.

With the above exception I'll stay away from Pif comparisons. It's tough when one French BYOB replaces another but it's important to judge it on its own merits.

The standouts were the foie gras app, which was served with mango and pumpkin bread, and the braised shoulder of the lamb special. The foie was perfectly seared and the mango/pumpkin/cinnamon flavors were surprising and harmonious. A diner behind us later described his in terms of the Japanese flavor theory called "umashi" (sic). The shoulder was packed full of flavor and had an crispy texture on the outside. Fava bean succotash went nicely with it.

I thought the escargots could have been a bit more tender and used (forgive me) more butter. It was a very earth dish with a strong mushroom flavor. That dish is really cute but kind of tough to eat out of.

The house-made bread is shaped into dense, moist small loaves with a thick, crunchy crust and is served with a wrapped round of French butter. We usually skip the bread but this was well worth it.

I'm sure they just forgot to take the cheese out of the fridge at the beginning of service, this being the first night and all, so it was a bit cold. Also some kind of jelly/jam/preserve/conserve or what-have-you would be nice for the goat cheese. And more bread!

I like lemon meringue like my mom makes it- very tart and with a huge mound of meringue on top. This was a fancier restaurant version- more balanced in both regards. The chocolat was very nice and I'm sure chocolate-lovers will like it. Not overly sweet, not too bitter, a nice light texture contrasted with the crunchy bits on top. We got that one just because we didn't want glaces or fruits. The ices are by Anthony's on 9th St.

Charlotte and Pierre were warm and gracious hosts, greeting most of the people that came in. I'm sure it was a nervous time, but they seem well-suited to running this kind of restaurant. Congrats to them!

[philadining]

We managed to squeeze into Bibou on Thursday, and I do mean squeeze, because the place was pretty full all night, and we managed to score a table because Charlotte was kind enough to give us one she had been holding for friends. And that was indicative of the service we received all evening: consciencious, friendly, charming.

And happily this excellent treatment was in service of excellent food. We had some very minor critiques of a few things, but overall we were very impressed, and are eager to go back and sample the rest of the menu, as well as revisit some of or favorites from this meal.

I think Matt got better photos than I did, so be sure to check out his Flickr page linked above. We were losing the natural daylight by the time we got underway, and the restaurant is just a bit too intimate there for me to deploy my alternative lighting tricks, so I did my best with available light.

We started with the Escargots that Matt described. It's served in a lovely spiral dish that evokes a snail shell, so I'll tolerate the slight inconvenience of extracting all the tiny favas and mushrooms from the swirls. We found the escargots to be sufficiently tender and buttery, but missing a little something - it could be as simple as just needing a little salt. But it was a minor thing, the snails themselves were still very good, and the accompanying vegetables were an interesting spring-like accompaniment. I ended up with the plate in front of me at the end, and couldn't stop sopping-up the sauce with a piece of bread.

We also quite enjoyed the Foie Gras. As Matt described, it was served with grilled mango and pumpkin bread, each of which acted as a good foil for the perfectly-seared foie's richness, and thankfully were not overly sweet. Even though it was pretty straightforward, this really was one of the best foie dishes I've ever had.

But the real standout for us among the starters ware the Rabbitt Rillettes, served with purple mustard.

This as listed as a terrine, and indeed had that more solid texture, rather than the looser, softer consistency that we're used to seeing with rillettes. Regardless of the density, the flavor was very full and earthy, we liked this dish so much, we considered getting another order, and there was even a serious debate about whether we should get an order for dessert.

The Lamb special featured a beautifully-rare loin, and a tender braised shoulder, spread over a tasty succotash of tender favas and sweet corn. As so many lamb loins are, this one was very mild in flavor, and sadly had a little line of gristle running through part of it, but it was very tender otherwise, and an intense reduced sauce added some vivid flavor. The shoulder had much more lamb character, and was falling into shreds after a long braise. I could have gone for a big plate of just that!

The Porc was a braised pig's foot stuffed with foie gras, seated in a bed of the most perfectly-cooked lentils you could ask for. Most pigs' feet that I've eaten have been crisply fried, or worked into a terrine, so this more unctuous form came as a bit of a surprise. Despite a crisp exterior, that layer was paper-thin, enclosing an oozy, soft, gooey interior. Especially stuffed with foie, it was intensely rich, with a gelatinous texture that was actually quite good, but so intense that we were all thankful that we were splitting it three ways. We felt this could have used a slightly more aggressive seasoning too, to balance the richness, but we were still really glad to have ordered it. Just be ready: a little bit goes a long way!

Our favorite of the mains was something that had the potential to be quite dull, and to be honest, we ordered it as a bit of a litmus test. If they took great care with something this simple, we knew this would be a kitchen to trust. And indeed, the Hanger Steak was just about perfect. It had a dark, intense crust, the otherwise medium-rare meat tender and juicy. It had a simple but concentrated sauce that only added to the intensity of flavor. And just to gild the lily, it was accompanied by the most artfully-roasted potatoes we've ever encountered. They were tiny, soft, yet crunchy potato cubes that exemplified everything good about a potato. I'd been thinking that it was a shame that the steak wasn't served with fries, but I'll take these potatoes any day.

We somehow talked ourselves out of getting rabbit rillettes for dessert, and ordered a few from the regular menu.

The cheese plate was simple, but featured good product and interesting accompaniments. (Sorry, I forgot what the cheeses were...)

The Millefeuille with Chocolate was very nice, and in a nice change of pace, didn't explode all over the table upon first attack.

Mango Meringuée was an interesting twist on Lemon Meringue pie.

Overall, it was a very good meal, and we're very pleased to have a restaurant like this open, especially in this spot. We couldn't kelp but notice ho good some of the other dishes looked at adjoining tables, so we're eager to get back and try more.

It's still early, but we learned that the chef will offer a tasting menu, and eventually the bar seats will be only for that. And there will be a set-menu prix-fixe on sundays. I'm sure we'll be checking those out, so stay tuned!

Edited May 8, 2009 by philadining (log)

[Mano]

Six of us ate at Bibou on Saturday. Given that they'd opened just three days before and that the chef was previously at Le Bec Fin and Daniel, I told the others that the dinner had the potential to be a disaster or fantastic.

The foie gras with mango and a unique cinnamon toast was excellent. At $15, it's not a cheap app, but it's worth the money and even worth bringing a split of Sauternes. I agree with Matt about the escargots lacking enough butter, but adding just a bit of the French butter they had for the bread made a difference. The baguette was almost addictive.

I also agree with philadining that the rabbit terrine was superb. The density and nice gamy flavor stood up well to the mustard. Next time I'd order that over the snails.

Since undergoing some ear surgery some years ago my "taster" isn't what it used to be so I gravitate toward big flavors and really enjoy all sorts of game. As a fan of duck, I found the duck breast to be very good, but not great. Rather than the slightly thinner single breasts sourced from D'Artagnan, the dish was two large lobes, or "tournedos," one from each breast with the connective tissue and skin holding them together. Quite simply, they may have benefited from some salt, but because I rarely add salt to served food, it never occurred to me.

philadining is also right that the hit of the evening was the hangar steak. My wife, who almost never orders steak when we eat out, impulsively ordered it after deciding on the fish special. What an unexpected treat! Even without the traditional fries, the dish was spot on for what excellent bistro food should be.

I didn't try the fish special, chard, but the two that had it thought it was terrific. Served with a sheet of perfectly crisp skin sitting atop the fish I suddenly wished they had salmon skin hand roll on the menu.

We ordered two dessert samplers and there's not much to add to what philadining wrote, except the lemon sorbet was some of the best I've had.

Also, not much more to add about the service. I'm often interested in how certain foods are prepared and the source of the ingredients, as I may want to try to make them at home. Pierre was happy to oblige and after explaining the braised pig's foot stuffed with foie gras I may give it a go next time I'm there. My only exposure to pigs feet are the ones in a jar at some ethnic deli's.

Two of us had cameras, including a higher end Nikon, but I'm not bold enough to even suggest taking photographs in a restaurant.

If I were a betting man, I'd wager LaBan will review Bibou within the next six months and give it three bells. It's right in his sweet spot: a young couple opening an ambitious BYOB. Also, having been executive chef at Le Bec Fin for five years and a stint as sous chef at Daniel in NYC, Pierre has, at least for Philadelphia, major cooking chops.

Edited May 10, 2009 by Mano (log)

[The Smiths]

We went to Bibou on Wednesday and were totally blown away.

If you like the french bistro byob type venue, this is for you.

As former lovers of Pif, we found that Charlotte and Pierre have done a great job of improving the space to make it more attractive (especially the lavatory).

The menu was pure bistro. The bread is made fresh daily on premises. The foie gras with fresh mango and pumpkin toast was the best we have every had.

The hanger steak was tender and flavorful and cooked perfectly to order.

Both the cheese tray and dessert sampler were unique and delicious.

Even though they have been open for only a week, the staff and the kitchen work together so well that you would think they have been there for a long time.

Service is attentive and friendly and definitely not "snooty"

Highly recommended!!! (we are going back next sunday)

[brescd01]

In another thread, I asked "am I just cranky?" and I am pretty sure that I am in fact, cracky. That said, my crankiness did not prevent my appreciating this lovely restaurant. What a relief after Parc! The hostess (I understand she is the chef's wife) was over-the-top sweet. My wife was attracted to both her hunky husband and her, but the food kept me from worrying about this too much. I am so naive about continental food but of course French food is all about sauces and the sauce on my hanger steak was perfect, nothing like the nauseating slop on my steak at Parc. Our appetizers were great (I had gazpacho, my wife the snails). Plus the noise level is low. Of course, the space is quite tight. If I could just lose weight to fit comfortably in the restaurant....

Edited May 16, 2009 by brescd01 (log)

[Mano]

Returned to Bibou last night with two friends who are part of our wine/dinner group and who are good home chefs. Their favorite upscale restaurant is Vetri and both thought for bistro fare Bibou was its equal. Again, the foie gras app was the biggest hit, but I really enjoyed the duck terrine. A a salad with quarter sized discs of fried goat cheese, was very good, with a nice crunch on the outside and thick, warm cheese and herb mixture that had a nice intense flavor. Our griends' only complaint was the chocolate mousse dessert, (which we recommended) was "nothing special." The tatin dessert was also very good and I wish there was more of it. The apples were al dente, soft but with a bit of snap to them.

Unfortunately, I only got to taste one new main as three of us had the hangar steak and the odd dish was the pigs foot. During our previous visit Pierre's description made it a must order. The lentils were superb and as philadining's description is accurate, it's a taste and texture that may not be for everyone.

As an interesting side note: After making reservations for Saturday, I called back to ask about the Sunday prix fix, which I'd read somewhere was $35. Pierre answered the phone and in his heavy (heavier than Charlotte's) French accent said what I thought was, "The Sunday prix fix is a small menu of four courses for $55." Not wanting a small menu, we kept our Saturday reservations. A few days later I received an email for Sundays' snail menu.

Edited May 24, 2009 by Mano (log)

[wkl]

last sunday the prix fixe was $45.

[KatieLoeb]

The SNAIL dinner this past Sunday was a special menu for National Escargot Day or something like that. I suspect the regular prix fixe price will return next week.

[jm chen]

Four of us had an excellent, excellent dinner here last Friday. Seated well after our reservation time but with a place this small, in only its third week of operation, it wasn't too shocking.

Hanger steak and halibut were both outrageously good, as was the corn and crab soup. Service was warm and welcoming throughout.

Great cheese. Great bread. We'll be back.

[The Smiths]

Our first experience at Bibou was soooooo good that we jumped at the chance to celebrate National Snail Day there on Sunday.

Pierre developed a 5 course menu where every course except dessert contained Escargot.

I used to say there are cooks and there are chefs but Pierre Calmals fits into an altogether higher category than chefs - he works magic with the ingredients.

Now, many people might cringe at the thought of enjoying an evening where virtually every dish contains snails but they just don't know what they are missing.

It was a prix fixe dinner at $55 per person ($10 more than their standard Sunday prix fixe dinner) but worth every penny and then some.

The Soupe et caviar d'escargot was a delicate tea infused celeriac cream with snail caviar. Neither of us had ever had snail caviar so it was an experience. This caviar is small and white with a quite delicate taste. Very nice. This was accompanied by 3 duck and snail brochette with parmesan which were tender and tasty.

The sauteed trout fillet with snail almond meuniere and fennel fondue was the best trout either of us have ever had. Previously, I went to Pond for trout but Bibou is my new favorite for this delicate dish.

The gratin of pigs feet with snails, fava beans and chanterelles was delicious.

The wild rice, sweetbreads and snail blanquette was also to die for. The sweetbreads and snails providing the flavor and the wild rice providing substance and a really nice crunchy texture.

We have found nothing to grouse about at Bibou at all. We are going back again next week.

[Capaneus]

Our first experience at Bibou was soooooo good that we jumped at the chance to celebrate National Snail Day there on Sunday.

Pierre developed a 5 course menu where every course except dessert contained Escargot.

I used to say there are cooks and there are chefs but Pierre Calmals fits into an altogether higher category than chefs - he works magic with the ingredients.

Now, many people might cringe at the thought of enjoying an evening where virtually every dish contains snails but they just don't know what they are missing.

It was a prix fixe dinner at $55 per person ($10 more than their standard Sunday prix fixe dinner) but worth every penny and then some.

The Soupe et caviar d'escargot was a delicate tea infused celeriac cream with snail caviar.  Neither of us had ever had snail caviar so it was an experience.  This caviar is small and white with a quite delicate taste.  Very nice.  This was accompanied by 3 duck and snail brochette with parmesan which were tender and tasty.

The sauteed trout fillet with snail almond meuniere and fennel fondue was the best trout either of us have ever had.  Previously, I went to Pond for trout but Bibou is my new favorite for this delicate dish.

The gratin of pigs feet with snails, fava beans and chanterelles was delicious.

The wild rice, sweetbreads and snail blanquette was also to die for.  The sweetbreads and snails providing the flavor and the wild rice providing substance and a really nice crunchy texture.

We have found nothing to grouse about at Bibou at all.  We are going back again next week.

←

So what was this mysterious dessert?

[spikemom]

So what was this mysterious dessert?

←

[The Smiths]

The Smiths were drawn back to Bibou by our previous excellent experiences and a desire to avail ourselves of the tasting menu to see what Pierre can create.

WOW! I can recommend this to anyone! We have been fortunate enough to enjoy tasting menues at Thomas Kellers restaurants: Per Se, French Laundry, and Bouchon as well as Daniel and Inn at Little Washington among others and this is one of the best we have ever enjoyed!

7 courses of just right-sized portions taking close to 3 wonderful hours to complete.

Individual courses were so good that we cannot distinguish a favorite.

Some courses were off the menu such as the crispy pate de tate, seared scallop, and foie gras but sized for a 7 course meal.

On top of this Pierre made special courses such as in-house made boudin blanc, squab, and orzo and asparagus soup.

For dessert, I had blueberry pie (made in-house and delicious) and my wife had ice cream.

It is priced right and worth every bite.

We are looking forward to two more tasting menues that we have made.

We would like to see a cheese course become part of the tasting menu since their selection of cheese is so good.

Smith rating: 5 stars out of 5

[brsaideman]

We went to Bibou Sunday for the prix fixe after dining there just 10 days previously -- unusual for us as my husband likes to try different restaurants every time. But that's how impressed we were with Bibou.

The meal started with a Soupe de Mais, chilled sweet corn soup with smoked salmon which was simply delicious. There was a choice of three appetizers and we chose the Escargots and the Foie Gras. Both were delicioius almost beynd belief, especially the Foie Gras with raspberries and sliced almonds (my choice). We were chicken to try the Pate de tete (pig head terrine).

We both choise the Saint Jacques for the entree, seared scallops with creamy orzo and alemon sorrel vinaigrette. Three large scallops were perfectly cooked and the orzo slid right down with the delicious sauce. Other entrees were hanger steak and boudin blanc.

For dessert my husband had the tarte aux Myrtilles and I chose Oeufs a la Neige, an old favotite. Both were fabulous! Pierre is right up there with Vetri, in our opinion. We think he's right at the top of the chefs currently working in Philadelphia and vicinity (and we've eaten at almost every top restaurant except we haven't been to the Fountain recently).

Toward the end of our dinner Georges Perrier came in with a party of 5 and 4 bottles of wine.

[The Smiths]

We went to Bibou Sunday for the prix fixe after dining there just 10 days previously -- unusual for us as my husband likes to try different restaurants every time. But that's how impressed we were with Bibou.

The meal started with a Soupe de Mais, chilled sweet corn soup with smoked salmon which was simply delicious. There was a choice of three appetizers and we chose the Escargots and the Foie Gras. Both were delicioius almost beynd belief, especially the Foie Gras with raspberries and sliced almonds (my choice). We were chicken to try the Pate de tete (pig head terrine).

We both choise the Saint Jacques for the entree, seared scallops with creamy orzo and  alemon sorrel vinaigrette. Three large scallops were perfectly cooked and the orzo slid right down with the delicious sauce. Other entrees were hanger steak and boudin blanc.

For dessert my husband had the tarte aux Myrtilles and I chose Oeufs a la Neige, an old favotite. Both were fabulous! Pierre is right up there with Vetri, in our opinion. We think he's right at the top of the chefs currently working in Philadelphia and vicinity (and we've eaten at almost every top restaurant except we haven't been to the Fountain recently).

Toward the end of our dinner Georges Perrier came in with a party of 5 and 4 bottles of wine.

←

I fully understand reticence to try the Pate de tete but it is delicous. The texture is very light and smooth and the flavor is full and enjoyable. It sounds like a dish that requires an acquired tast but it is not. Try it and open your taste buds and a whole new world of epicurean delights.

[TarteTatin]

Wow. Delicious. Super.

A party of six on Wed.

Ecrire french butter, individually wrapped, very thin slices of baguette.

Escargot with peas and veal stock I think, smoked salmon with quail egg and salmon roe with salad. I had the foie gras with quince puree and fried pumpkin bread. Perfectly rare. Had taste, as it should. The flavors and textures just rocked.

(side note: we were in NY last week and had dinner at L'absinthe, one of our favorite bistros: the foie was tasteless and overcooked)

Two of us had the scallops, super, with orzo or risotto, I don't remember but it was very good.

Three had veal. Mr. Tarte Tatin had leg of lamb, oven roasted med rare, with artichoke cream and maybe japanese seaweed??

We all had tarte aux myrtilles, which is really blueberries, Charlotte's grandmothers recipe. We had sides of Anthony's vanilla ice cream (the only dessert they don't make, they said).

C'est chouette!

We brought some lovely wines...

Just a great time, better and also a better value than L'absinthe.

Charlotte and Pierre are super.

Really enjoyed it!

[tbabes]

Toward the end of our dinner Georges Perrier came in with a party of 5 and 4 bottles of wine.

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Must have been a light night; 5 people and 4 bottles! When hitting BYO's like this with a group, we usually make a wine "assignment" for each diner. A group of us will be visiting later this week. Has anyone tried the tasting menu? I understand it is 7 courses for $70 -- are these courses on the a la carte menu, or are they specially made for the tasting menu?

Brian

[Buckethead]

Toward the end of our dinner Georges Perrier came in with a party of 5 and 4 bottles of wine.

←

Must have been a light night; 5 people and 4 bottles! When hitting BYO's like this with a group, we usually make a wine "assignment" for each diner. A group of us will be visiting later this week. Has anyone tried the tasting menu? I understand it is 7 courses for $70 -- are these courses on the a la carte menu, or are they specially made for the tasting menu?

Brian

←

I had the tasting menu a week or so ago and it was all courses off the regular menu for that evening. The portions were smaller than the dishes going out to the dining room (thankfully). I'd recommend doing the tasting if you don't mind the cost, everything I had was excellent. The scallop in particular was the best I've ever had. But you won't get anything you can't get off the a la carte menu.