"Of course the epitome of the caramelized school is Cobble Hill’s Bien Cuit, where the slogan on the sign out front reads “pastry well done” — essentially the French translation of the bakery’s name. Though the croissant looks like a wooden paperweight, there could hardly be a more carefully turned-out pastry — the pastry leaves are well-defined, the thing as symmetrical as a football — and when you nip off the end, the inside is just as perfect. They may be drier than you’d like. There are two other locations in Crown Heights and Grand Central Station." - Robert Sietsema
"The chances are fairly high that you’ve baked or considered baking bread in the not-so-distant-past, and you’re certainly not alone. But if you want to set yourself apart, you’re going to need the best ingredients. Fortunately, Bien Cuit is offering them for takeout and delivery (as well as shipping nationally). Along with their sourdough starter, wheat flour, and instant yeast, this Carroll Gardens bakery is also serving a bunch of things you can put on the bread once it’s done, like cured meats or duck rillettes." - hannah albertine, nikko duren, bryan kim, matt tervooren
"If you’re looking for some external motivation to get through your workday, Bien Cuit’s chocolate croissants, blondies, and brownies should provide enough sugar and thrill to help out. The Cobble Hill, Midtown East, and Crown Heights locations of this excellent bakery are open for takeout and delivery. And when your boss gives you a “nice work today” message at 6pm, you can pat your belly and thank the fudgy brownie that knew you could do it all along." - hannah albertine
"Craig Escalante, who runs the kitchen at Laurel Bakery, previously baked at Brooklyn’s Bien Cuit, which is listed among his past professional stops and speaks to his experience in notable baking kitchens." - Melissa McCart
"With the motto “pastry well done,” this is the epitome of the caramelized approach: it looks like a wooden paperweight but is immaculately turned-out, symmetrical, and when you nip off the end the inside is just as perfect—though perhaps drier than some will like." - Robert Sietsema