Le Bec-Fin alum Pierre Calmels and his wife, Charlotte, are about a week into 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 Assouline & Ting, 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.

And there were but five entrees: braised pig's feet ($25) stuffed with foie gras; seared scallop ($20); hanger steak with shallot and red wine sauce ($26); skate ($19); and duck magret Tournedos-style ($23). There's a decent cheese plate, too.

It's open Wednesdays though Sundays for dinner. Sunday's dinner, a prix-fixe $45, includes three courses plus amuse-bouche.

What's new

Chef Chip Roman has opened Blackfish's new operation in Stone Harbor (9628 Third Ave., 609-967-9100), the Jersey Shore sibling to the original in Conshohocken. The 200-seater, with a 75-seat bar, used to be Henny's. It's open for lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. Starters are $10 to $19, entrees $28 to $39, desserts $7 to $12. This Blackfish won't be permanent. He and partner John Sprandio will start construction on a "green" hotel across the street. Blackfish will move into the hotel when it is completed in February 2011. Roman's Shore operation previously was in Avalon.

Saturday is the planned grand opening of Darling's Diner, Vino (an Italian wine bar), and the Swift Half, a gastropub at the Piazza at Schmidt's, on Second Street south of Germantown Avenue in Northern Liberties. A fourth operation is a few weeks off: P.Y.T., an '80s-themed indoor-outdoor lounge from promoter Tommy Up. Menu will be simple: mainly burgers.

What's coming

Mike Stollenwerk of Bella Vista's Little Fish is taking over the former Astral Plane space at 1706-08 Lombard St. for a seafooder whose working name is Fish. At 50 seats, plus 12 at the bar, it will be about twice the size of its little older brother. He hopes to open the week after Labor Day. Sous chef Chad Jenkins is aiming to buy into Little Fish and will run Sixth and Catharine, Stollenwerk says.

Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man, looking at June or July for its debut on 15th Street just south of Walnut Street, opened a hiring office on the second floor of the 1500 Walnut St. building. The chocolate retailer/restaurant will use 1500 Walnut St. as its address, rather than the 212 S. 15th St. used by its previous occupant. Butcher & Singer's address is also 1500 Walnut.

Miga, a Japanese-Korean BBQ, is looking at late May to mid-June across the street from Max Brenner at 211 S. 15th St., the former ¡Pasión! space. Miga is awaiting delivery of BBQ tables from Korea.

And what's not coming: Audrey Taichman says her plan for a second Audrey Claire, at 13th and Sansom Streets, is off. She's looking for another location.

Restaurant drama

The Freehouse (110 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne) has reclaimed its name. From December through last month, it was Mims Food + Drink with John Mims in the kitchen. Mims' presence in Wayne sparked a lawsuit from his previous business partner at Carmine's in Bryn Mawr. Earlier this year, Mims (now in Phoenixville) ceded the chef's job to son Jon, who left for New Orleans. Freehouse's new chef, Brett Naylor, worked for Mims at Center City's late Les Bons Temps. He's doing a gastropub menu with sustainably caught seafood and locally sourced ingredients.

Union Trust (717 Chestnut St.) has had its share of drama, what with the recent departure of chef-cofounder Terry White. Chef Kevin Sbraga, formerly of the Jose Garces orbit, spent three days there to straighten out the kitchen with UT cofounder Ed Doherty. (The Willingboro-bred Sbraga is on his way to Miami Beach, Fla., where he'll become executive chef at Solea, the Mediterranean restaurant attached to the new W Hotel.) Among changes at UT are a few price drops, the addition of charcuterie, a chicken dish (which White's menu did not have), and Sbraga's herb-crusted halibut. Doherty has eighty-sixed caviar and the tacky practice of charging for sauce on a dish.

Mio Pomodoro in the Jenkintown SEPTA station is closed.

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Contact columnist Michael Klein at 215-854-5514 or mklein@phillynews.com. See restaurant news in real time at http://go.philly.com/insider.