Bakeries: Balthazar and Sullivan Street

Whoever says that man does not live by bread alone has never visited the Balthazar Bakery or the Sullivan Street Bakery (Note: The original location of Sullivan Street Bakery is now Grandaisy Bakery. The quality is still excellent.)

Just one bite of the pain au chocolat at Balthazar alone disproved this theory for me! But of course I didn't stop there. After admiring the various tarts, I ordered the unctuously rich chocolate cajeta (Mexican goat-milk caramel) tart, a buttery scone, and one of the best chocolate-chip walnut cookies I have ever tasted. A Brie sandwich was perfection: a chewy, butter-slathered baguette generously topped with Brie. Sun-dried tomatoes were a delightful accent in the pain bagnat, which also included the usual hard-boiled egg, black olives, lettuce and tuna. In another nice touch, the slices of fresh tuna were seared and crusted with black pepper.

You may wonder how I made it over the Sullivan Street loaded down with so many goodies! Well, I managed. At Sullivan Street, I tried the legendary tortino di cioccolato, basically a glorified (and glorious) brownie, as well as two different kinds of cheeseless pizza; potato and mushroom. In each case, the vegetables were very thinly sliced and redolent of olive oil and herbs. Sullivan Street also offers a wonderful crusty olive loaf.

Balthazar Bakery: 80 Spring St. (212) 965-1785. Sullivan Street Bakery: 73 Sullivan St. (212) 334-9435.