The Bib Day 3: Regina Schrambling on Minetta vs. Ma Peche

The Bib is here! food52 and Eater's first ever restaurant competition, where notable New Yorkers whittle down a list of New York's best new restaurants. Every day during the Bib, one of 15 chosen judges will explain why one restaurant, narrowed down from a giant list of '09 and '10 openings by our Bib Panel, defeated the other in a comparative tasting.

On Wednesday, The Awl's Choire Sicha revealed his thoughts on M. Wells and Fatty 'Cue, and yesterday musician Brian Chase offerred his take on Prime Meats and Maialino. Today, editor and freelance writer Regina Schrambling (of Gastropoda) compares meals from Ma Peche and Minetta Tavern.

Her review begins:

I’ll get the obvious out of the way first. Ma Peche and Minetta Tavern could not be more different — one challenges, the other lulls. Both to the max. But you would expect the David Chang production to make your meal difficult; he’s notorious for not fucking pandering to patrons. And you would really expect it if you’d had, as my consort and I did, a frustrating first experience months ago when we and friends were initially abandoned in the lobby of the Chambers Hotel, then shunted to the bar to spring for expensive drinks and finally seated on hard chairs in a stories-high room that put the din in dinner.

Click through for the rest and to find out who wins this round.>>