Eiffel Power

Bibou is the best French bistro in a city teeming with them.

by David Snyder

Jessica Kourkounis CHOMPS-ELYSEES: Bibou chef Pierre Calmels uses refined preparations to make offal cuts, like tripe, accessible without sacrificing flavor.

Charlotte Calmels was serving appetizers when the call came in around 8:15 on a Saturday night. The phone was on the opposite side of the bustling French bistro, but somehow she managed to reach it by the third ring and answer with a sparkling cadence: "Bibou, BYOB."

The call (which she continued in French) blended into the room's conversational hum. And I returned to devouring my luxuriously creamy quail mousse, dusted with crushed white pepper alongside vivid diced red cabbage dressed in white balsamic vinegar. As I savored the last forkful of the gamey terrine, Charlotte called out to her chef husband, Pierre, to deliver the news.

"I just took a reservation for 10 people at 10:30," Charlotte confessed to my friend and me as she poured water into a French press behind the two-person bar where we were sitting. Then — after scanning the fully packed, 32-seat space — all three of us laughed.

Charlotte knew this would be their busiest night since they opened in May (she lined up an extra server in advance). Squeezing in another large table would be a challenge. Still, she and Pierre found space (and food) to accommodate that late-night 10 top.

Next time, though, latecomers may not be so lucky. Bibou's already cementing its reputation as the best French bistro in a city teeming with them. And as word continues to spread, even late-night seats at this postage-stamp-size eatery will soon be difficult — if not impossible — to secure.

Bibou's address is sacred ground for local Francophiles. It once housed Pif, where chef David Ansill pioneered his playful French cuisine. The space had been vacant since 2007, when Ansill shuttered Pif to focus on his small-plates spot Ansill (which, sadly, fell victim to the recession just three weeks ago). The Calmels updated the space by swapping out carpet for hardwood, combining two bathrooms into one and revamping the bar area. Still, the peach walls and sage wainscoting give the restaurant a countrified feel that provides continuity for those nostalgic for the space's heritage.

Bibou's setting is casual, but it doesn't take long for the Calmels' sophisticated pedigrees to emerge. Service may be relaxed, but Charlotte, a former Restaurant School instructor, and her small staff are polished, well-informed and engaging.

Pierre, in the back of the house, described his food as "French home cooking" — "the kind of dishes my grandmother used to make," he told me in an interview. The reality, though, is more complex: These upscale versions of French country fare far exceed the typical expectations and limitations of a bistro. After just one bite, the classical methods the chef perfected at several Michelin-rated restaurants in France, New York City's Daniel and Philly's Le Bec-Fin (where he was executive chef) are apparent.

Nowhere are these skills more vivid than in the chef's sauces. It's difficult to upstage perfect, double-seared hanger steak, but the depth that green peppercorn, red currant gelée and a touch of cream brought to the dish's red wine bordelaise sauce (a Georges Perrier recipe Pierre tweaked) had me asking for more house-made bread to mop one of my companions' plates. Grenadine syrup added structure to the rhubarb and Meyer lemon-zest sauce accompanying crisp-skinned sea bass. The whisper of clove in the Black Diamond plum chutney was a creative bridge to house-made pumpkin bread served with seared foie gras. Fresh sage from the Calmels' personal garden made the jus in veal medallions sing.

I loved the playfulness of cooking and serving a Cape Cod scallop in its shell, but it was the sauce — a divine blend of light cream, mousseron mushrooms and scallop roe — that delivered a true moment of clarity. Its intense juxtaposition of earth and sea elicited an emotional reaction so acute I had to pretend my allergies were acting up to avoid embarrassment.

Chef Calmels' biggest gift is his ability to make offal cuisine accessible. When I visited St. Emilion, France, in May, I tried traditional tripe in its most unapologetic form — there was no mistaking what part of the pig I was eating. Bibou's version of this classic, in contrast, is more elegant. The gamier notes are still detectable in the distance, but reducing the tripe three times with white wine and onions prevents such flavors from overwhelming and allows the bright acidity of Calmels' tomato-based sauce to pull forward, making the dish more approachable.

Bone marrow's intensity can be challenging, but Calmels cuts its rich flavor with porcinis and bread crumbs before re-stuffing the split bones and giving them a quick toast. By design, the preparation dilutes the essence of what one comes to expect with marrow, which may concern purists. But, in exchange, earthy 'shrooms and crunchy bread crumbs grant the traditionally one-note dish greater complexity and texture.

The best way to experience the broadest range of Bibou's ever-changing offerings is to opt for the tasting menu, which begins at seven courses for $70. (You can add more for $10 a course; the record, so far, is 11.) Here, Calmels often features specials, such as an escargot and pigs' feet gratin I recently enjoyed, with bright red wine vinegar and tenderly crisp favas. But beg him to include his steak tartar. Its appearance in my tasting was the first time Calmels presented a tartar at Bibou, and I don't want it to be his last: Generous chunks of tenderloin melded into a fresh, warm welcome of lemon, chives, mustard and a hint of Tabasco. Simple, perfect.

Bibou, Calmels says, is a term of endearment, used just in his family, for someone who enjoys eating and drinking — and, on occasion, a bit too much of both. Thanks to the inspired food this chef is turning out, his clan just got a whole lot bigger.

(david.snyder@citypaper.net)

Bibou | 1009 S. Eighth St., 215-965-8290, biboubyob.com. Wed.-Sun., 5-11 p.m.; closed Mon.-Tue. (except for private parties). Appetizers, $6-$15; entrées, $21-$26; desserts and cheese, $6-$11. BYOB. Cash only. Reservations recommended.