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If I had the choice to dine on one specific cuisine for the rest of my life, it would be French. I would cook coq au vin, boeuf bourguignonne, bouillabaisse, choucroute and a host of other dishes. The cheese, bread, wine and desserts also would be French.
If I had the great fortune to select one French chef in Philadelphia who would cook for me when a craving came over me, my choice would be “très facile (very easy).”
So who is my choice? The talented chef Pierre Calmels who, with his charming wife Charlotte, are the proprietors of Bibou near the Italian Market. It was recently named a semi-finalist for best new restaurant for the James Beard Foundation Awards, which will be announced next month.
My friend Dan is the only person I wanted to dine with at Bibou. It’s his favorite restaurant. He was able to book the two seats at the bar for a recent dinner. Bibou is, more often than not, totally booked.
Dan has a fine knowledge of food and wine. He brought a 2006 Donati Family Vineyard Chardonnay, a ’05 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon and Ey banyuls, a fortified dessert wine.
Bibou is a shoe-box-size gem housed in the former Ansill. Bibou emits a cozy, relaxed and unhurried atmosphere. The lighting is perfect, the music is soft and the cuisine transported me back to my beloved Paris.
Calmels’ amuse bouche (gift from the chef) was not a one-bite treat, but a small tureen of rich fish bisque topped with tiny croutons. The aroma immediately permeated my senses. Just before the soup arrived Charlotte brought us a loaf of homemade French bread and a round of French butter encased in foil. She also brought a small ramekin of rouille, the heady sometimes slightly spicy garlic mayonnaise always served with fish soup in France. Dan and I used a demitasse spoon to dab the rouille onto the bread and dip it into the soup. I scraped every bit with a piece of bread.
Terrine du jour ($9) was prepared with veal and pork. Calmels studded the rich pate with pistachio nuts before he layered it with aspic and encased the terrine in savory pastry. I have not enjoyed pate en croute in a long time and this version was magnifique. A small mound of finely dressed mache was nested next to the terrine.
Calmels sense of the visual was evident in his brilliant version of escargot ($13) He used a round white concentric plate to house juicy snails, laced with a hint of garlic, alternating with fava beans and mushrooms. The sauce was flavored with fragrant tarragon which emitted a fine aromatic flavor. This dish could rival any escargot I savored in Paris.
Dan ordered the pied de porc ($25) which was braised pig feet stuffed with foie gras served over a bed of French lentils. This is a classic Parisian presentation, but I’ve never tried pigs feet stuffed with rich foie gras. It was outrageously delicious. The rich heady flavor and creamy texture of foie gras married with the juicy tender braised pigs feet were a bold contrast to the lentils which popped in our mouths.
Since the pied de porc was a rich dish, we needed an entrée on the lighter side. Flétan ($25) was seared wild halibut with sautèed oyster mushrooms, spinach and sautèed cherry tomatoes floating on a blood orange emulsion.
I usually do not prefer mushrooms with fish, but they worked here splendidly. I thought it was a little salty, but this is a matter of personal taste. The use of cherry tomatoes added a bit of sweetness which contrasted with the light acidity of blood oranges.
Whenever I am in Paris or sometimes serving guests at home, I enjoy ending dinner with a cheese plate. I was curious to see Calmels’ selection ($11). The fromages were Selles-sur-Cher, a chèvre from Touraine, cendre, Ossau-Iraty Brebis, a raw sheepís milk cheese from the Pyrenees and Fleur d’Aunis a vache from Charentes in the lower Loire Valley. We sipped our banyul and luxuriated in the experience.
Each course was perfectly timed. Charlotte along with a few servers kept dinner flowing like a fine symphony with husband Pierre as the conductor.
Dan told me Bibou is his favorite restaurant. I think it is mine, too.
Three extraordinary tips of the toque to Bibou.
Bibou
1009 S. Eighth St.
215-965-8290
www.biboubyob.com
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