After several failed attempts at going to the Bibou prix fixe, we finally got a reservation! I swear, every time we wanted to go, there was something stopping us. Either we tried to get a reservation too late, they were on vacation, or one of us wasn’t available on that said sunday. Then all the stars aligned and we finally went! Bibou is pocket-sized and adorably so. It’s warm and inviting.
Warm baguette, anyone? Yes, please! The butter was also delicious.
To start, we had the soup course, which was a bouillabase, with rouille toast. Oh, this was a cute bowl of seafoody goodness. It was hot, pungent, and a great start.
E got the foie gras duo. There was a foie gras creme brulee and a hunk of seared foie gras. For those of you who eat foie gras and like foie gras, this is the choice for you.
I decided to be bold and get the escargot. It’s a french place and I wanted to go as french as possible! Escargot is of course, snails, and these were in a ragout with fava beans, mousseron mushroom, and flavored with tarragon. I like escargot! I’d only had it once before, maybe nearly 10 years ago, but those were just pretty plain and buttered. These were succulent and savory and I even enjoyed the mushrooms. There’s nothing scary about snails at all. They’re delicious.
E wanted the octopus dish, but they had just run out. So instead, she got the striped bass prepared as the octopus had been. So here is the striped bass with with cauliflower couscous, tomatillo and red bell pepper, preserved lemon, in a caper brown butter. Yum!
I got the regular striped bass dish, which was served with artichoke barigoule, fava beans, butternut squash, and barigoule emulsion. What does all that mean? I don’t know, it just tasted good. Both of the fish dishes were perfectly cooked. The fish was tender but with a slightly crispy skin. The accompanying flavors and veggies were mild, yet perfect for how it was prepared. We both ate it up!
E is a chocolate girl, so she got the mimi’s chocolate cake with caramel sauce. Oh my word. This was an individual sized and baked cake. It was crazy good.
I prefer fruit in my desserts so I went with the crumble fresh cranberry pie. Jimminy cricket this was amazing too. The cranberry was fresh and tart and the accompanying berries were lovely and sweet. Really, every bite of this meal was superb.
Just when we thought we were done, they brought out some macaroons and other sweet treats. How cute is this! And if that wasn’t enough, Chef Pierre came out and said hello to us (and everyone else). We were both elated, stuffed, and a bit starstruck to say anything intelligible! We both thoroughly enjoyed our meal here, and the entire experience. I still don’t know jack about french food, but places like Bibou make me want to try it again and again.

Sushi spots abound in philadelphia. Sometimes, you can’t walk a block without running into one. Where were all these when I was growing up? I’ve gone to Makiman Sushi a couple of times recently, and I’m a fan. It’s a nice sized place with a small sushi bar. It’s very casual and a BYOB. The house salad with ginger sauce. I’m very judgy when it comes to these, because I’m a big fan of ginger dressing. Their’s was quite respectable. And props for a mix of greens and not just iceberg lettuce, not that I don’t love iceberg lettuce. They also had cucumber in there!
Miso soup… just fine.
The best dish at this place are the tuna nachos. It’s not like a pile of chips with tuna thrown on top. They’re two fried wontons (I think) topped with some veggies, raw tuna, and a spicy sauce. And they are glorious! I was hesitant about these but M convinced me to get them. I’m so glad he did! It’s more like an openface asiany tuna taco. The sauce is delicious, but at times, can be a bit too spicy. On our second visit, the sauce was sooooo spicy that M could barely eat it. But really folks, you’ve got to try these!
Here’s the sushi regular… M always gets the sushi regular, just like my mom. How many other people out there are sushi regulars?
For whatever reason, I decided to try a couple of random rolls that day. These were quite nice! While their sushi is just fine, let me just reiterate my love for the tuna nachos. I will keep coming back here because those things are so darn yummy!

The Farm and Fisherman is an adorable BYOB in Washington Square West. When you walk in, you really feel like it’s someone’s living room, except it’s full of little dining tables, and a sofa is nowhere to be found. It’s small and intimate and warm. One thing we noticed on the Sunday night that we visited was how young we felt. I’m not sure if maybe it was just that it was Sunday night, but I definitely felt like a young’n. They have a very small menu and I’m a fan of places that do not give me too many things to choose from. It makes my indecisive self feel better.
A roll and homemade butter. The bread was warm, the butter was beyond fresh. It was delicious. We were off to a great start.We ordered one of the beet steak appetizers to share. Instead of one, they actually brought out two individual dishes. They said they found a few big pieces and just split it into two portions. Whoa. These beets must have been humongous, as our individual portions were ginormous! These bloody beet steaks were served with yogurt, shallots, pan drippings, aged balsamic vinegar, and pea leaves. Wow, this thing was like an entree! And it was beyond rich and delicious. I am a big fan of beets anyway, so for anyone that is not, try this to become a convert!
E got the pastured chicken baked in hay. It was served with blue corn grits and mushrooms. She couldn’t stop going on about how awesome it was.
I had the rhode island fluke served with a stew of fall vegetables, curry, almonds, and currants. I was so surprised by how big the portion sizes were! These were two large pieces of fluke, perfectly grilled and placed atop a nice mix of rooty veggies.
For dessert we got the apple strudel with freshly whipped cream. This was perfect. It wasn’t overly sweet and the dough was crispy and flaky. Service was absolutely top notch. The clientele also rocked. There was a big group there celebrating a birthday, and when they saw we didn’t b any of our own b, they offered us some of their wine. How sweet is that? We both thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our experience here. We’ll definitely be back! Note to people out there – this would be a lovely date spot!