Winner (#1)

Bibou

French flavor in a small space, by Michael Klein, Inquirer Le Bec-Fin alum Pierre Calmels and his wife, Charlotte, are (...) in Bibou (1009 S. Eighth St., 215-965-8290), their homey, cash-only BYOB in the tiny corner storefront near the Italian Market that previously was Pif. The French-born and -trained Calmels' first U.S. job was in the 1990s at Daniel in New York. He relocated to Switzerland, where he met Charlotte working at the same hotel. In August 2001, he got a job in the United States and asked her to follow him. She's worked at Brasserie Perrier, the Restaurant School as an instructor, gourmet grocer, at Patou, and Bistro St. Tropez. Calmels is keeping the menu tight, befitting the size of the dining room and kitchen (though he does his own baking and butchering). The opening menu's starters included a rabbit terrine, a soup, escargots, a smoked-salmon salad, foie gras, and a warm potato and goat cheese tatin.