Bien Cuit — Restaurant in New York

I've gotten bread here on 3 occasions. The first time I got a stale baguette. This bread was not "bien cuit" like the business has commented on other reviews complaining about stale bread. I love toasty, even burnt, crunchy bread. This bread was not that. Thought I'd give them a second try, so I got the sunflower rye the second time. When I checked out the bread came out to at least $16 and I was floored. The bread is quite heavy, but that was still shocking. It was not fresh and I struggled to cut it when I got home. My mom also bought a baguette from this place a few days ago and she was surprised by the price - $4.50 - although that was far from shocking to me. We ate it immediately and again it was stale. They claim to not sell day old breads - maybe that's true. But if they're baking the breads in the middle of the night and we're eating them at noon the next day, maybe that's enough for it to be stale. Or maybe the recipe just isn't good. The store always smells amazing when you walk by from the pastries baking presumably. Instead of trying to convince people you're not selling stale bread, maybe you should try to think of a different baking schedule that would allow you to sell...

Hi there, I am from France and working in Brooklyn a month a year. I am lucky to have had a grandfather who was a baker in Paris!

In France you will never see a 'bien cuit' only bakery as you will miss out on half of the clientèle. You can always choose if you want your bread 'bien cuit' ou 'pas trop cuit' depending on taste preferences or health choices. 'Bien cuit' has a more intense taste, is better for digestion (as you eat slower/chew more), it's better for your teeth (doesn't stick) and has a lower glycemic index than their softer equivalents that leave the oven sooner.

I had a bit of a weird experience at this bakery as there were racks of beautiful looking pain aux raisins, I ordered one, paid a whopping 7 dollars (in France this would probably cause a strike 😂 you'll have 4 for this price) and then all of a sudden they were for wholesale only... I got a pain aux chocolat instead with the promise to get a refund on my card. Tastewise it tasted like a nice american cousin :) the type of pastry and chocolate ratio is not...

I went to Bien Cuit looking for the "Parisienne - style" of croissant where they spend a little more time in the oven. Also, this Brooklyn bakery is famous for its well crafted tarts and seasonal desserts, as well as breads. I went on a Saturday around 2pm. It was not crowded, but they had ran out of most of their sandwiches (they are pre-made) and Manu of their other desserts. No tarts. No financières. I was disappointed. I did have a ham and cheese croissant (with very little of both inside) and an almond and chocolate (mostly almond frangipane) croissant. Both were "well cooked" but seemed a little past their prime (if à croissant is baked at 4am,it will not be at its prime at 2pm). Maybe they need to bake several small batches a day? They were good, but not delicious (they did not taste OD European cultures butter, as croissants in Paris do). Good but not excellent. Maybe after all these years the quality has deteriorated, or I visited...