after dinner sneeze

t says:  We checked out Bibou as our official June FTC meeting.  (We missed May).  I posted my experiences over at the Penn blog, Penn Appetit.  I figured that I’ve showered Bibou with so much praise on this blog already that it was time to expose it to a broader audience.  That said – there are some funnier things that occurred that I’ll mention here (adsz exclusive!).

First off, let’s re-cap some food (and wines available at PLCB) from a’s and v’s perspectives, as I omitted them from the Penn Appetit review.

a says:  I was extremely impressed with the food, service, and ambiance at Bibou – I’m not surprised t has a crush. The title of “favorite BYO” goes a little too far for me as I can’t say any one dish blew-me-away. [full disclosure: The french lentils served with the pig foot may be the best medium I have ever tasted.] v’s escargot were prepared flawlessly and my guinea hen terrine, accompanied by a corn bread waffle, was a very interesting dish. I feel the waffle could have been better and seemed disjointed from the terrine, which lacked big flavor. My hanger steak was cooked to perfection and matched well with the potatoes and asparagus (and Bordeaux), but nothing on my plate took my palate to another level. I’ve had very good steak before and Bibou’s was right there, however, it was nothing I haven’t tasted. The cheese plate and desserts were on par with the rest of the meal, not one misstep. Oh, and as should be requisite for a French restaurant, the bread ‘n’ butter was the bomb. I look forward to returning to Bibou and trying more risky menu items as the overall experience is one of the best in Philadelphia. [super-full disclosure: I arrived at dinner directly from the International Great Beer Expo… where I had enjoyed great beer… a lot of great beer. My dinner experience may have been colored by the fact that I had malt and hops coursing through my veins.] I thought the wines went extremely well with the meal (especially sans any pre-meal pairing) and would have been made even better with serious decanting. More detailed descriptions below.

Re: wines … These are highly recommended, perfect for French(ish) cuisine, under $30, and available at PLCB stores in CC:
1)  Lillet (blanc) [France] – serve this aperitif chilled, on ice, with orange peel garnish.  This is the quintessential (French) summertime palate-awakener. Light, citrusy, and refreshing.
2)  Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Clos Hauserer Riesling 2007 [Alsace].  A luscious white with great mouthfeel, focused acidity, and pleasant minerality. The nose of honey and grapefruit continued on the tongue accompanied by a perfectly balanced citrusy-sweetness [read: not a sweet wine].”
3)  Chateau Vignot Saint-Emilion 2003 [Bordeaux].  I think this was a wonderful example of how a cheaper Bordeaux can be approachable and quite good. Merlot based, the nose was barnyard, but not funky, with a
hint of caramel. In the mouth, it tasted of lovely dark fruits and had light tobacco and leather undertones. This is drinking well right now, and with its enjoyable tannins, will probably continue to for a few more years.

t says:  g and I brought a Quintessa and a bottle of Champagne (actually from Champagne).  But we love our wine guru who’s always able to pull out some of the less-than-obvious-to-most-people choices.  I hope he posts more about his random wine finds in the future (*wink wink*)!

As you can see, Bibou put up another great meal, and when combined with great wines and great friends, it’s a great time.  I can’t wait to do it again.  Shall we change our venue to Fond next month for FTC to start up a French BYO throwdown??

And … as promised … some funny conversations:

1)  Our awesome server, a Mexican who had worked at Le Bec-fin before Bibou:  “And here is your creme caramel …”
someone from our party:  “Wow – it looks like Flan”
server:  “Yea, you’re right, it is a fancy Flan.”

2)  Pierre came around and we offered him a glass of wine.  Pierre: “I don’t drink while I am working – I know too many chefs who drink too early into service.”

3)  a was a little boisterous at the end of the meal.  He professed his love for the lentils out loud.  Repeatedly.  Someothing to the extent of (although not verbatim) “OMFG, those lentils were !#@$ amazing – if i had some more I’d <insert creative explicit action here>…”.  I swear that right after he said this, our server went back into the kitchen and started mentioning “lentils”.  Immediately, g and I looked at eachother and knew we had to do something – we were like, “ok … so it’s time to go …”.  If we were there for a second longer I bet you a dollar that a plate of lentils would have appeared …