Visiting NYC - whole grain breads in Manhattan?

I love going to Sullivan's for pizza patate!  Haven't tried whole grains there, but I promise the slice of pizza is worth the stop!

I love going to Sullivan's for pizza patate!  Haven't tried whole grains there, but I promise the slice of pizza is worth the stop!

I love going to Sullivan's for pizza patate!  Haven't tried whole grains there, but I promise the slice of pizza is worth the stop!

Amy's Bread is right around the corner from Time Square. I just came back from a short trip to NY, and checked out several bakeries.

The unexpected highlight of this culinary research (I call that "continuing education") was a visit at Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho. I had been sure that all the ado about his creation, the famed Cronut, was just a hyped-up fad, and  ordered one purely out of curiosity. It was absolutely delicious, and so were the other pastries we tried.

Karin

Arcade Bakery in Tribeca serves up a really good miche in the Poilane style. I lived in NYC for 3 years and this is probably the best I ever found there.

http://www.seriouseats.com/search?term=new+york+bakeries

Not only is New York larger than a breadbox, but there are a ton of bakeries across the city as well.  Are you interested remaining in Manhattan only, or in crisscrossing the entire 4 (well, to be fair, 5) boroughs in your investigation?  Or will you be maintaining a relatively small area in which to visit and taste from?  Because the first can be daunting and the second might be too limiting.  Maybe somewhere in between.  New York for all of its madness and overpopulation, is one of the easiest big cities to travel in - assuming that you take public transportation.  So it is possible to spend time in multiple distinct areas of the city within a few short hours of each other.

I only have one recommendation, and that is one to avoid.  It is a personal thing with me, but I just plain don't like Le Pain Quotidien, which has sprung up like weeds throughout the city.  They are steps away, and I do mean directly across the street, from where we stay with family in NY, and I never go in there.  I just don't like them nor their uppity attitude. Plus they are now a big chain and I don't think that their standards of quality are anything to write home about.  Or to write in TFL about either.

Others may disagree and think the world of them, but isn't that what this general forum is for anyway?

PS If you decide to go to Amy's Bread, visit the one in the Chelsea Market on 9th Avenue in lower Manhattan.  The market itself is fascinating to visit and you can spend a few hours (and a few hundred dollars) there alone.