Crepe Maker (crepemaker.com) is a franchise restaurant that has earned a loyal following in Paramus for its friendly service and creative recipes. The menu is divided into savory or sweet crepes but it's the latter, dessert crepes, that seem to win hearts. Crepe Maker goes far beyond the typical strawberries and whipped cream crepe. The "To Die For" crepe filling is made with cheesecake, banana, strawberries, Nutella and whipped cream. A bananas Foster crepe adds butter, chopped walnuts, cinnamon, sugar and Grand Marnier to the obligatory banana and then finishes the dessert with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. The menu features a couple of dozen dessert crepes and the only hard part is deciding which one to order.
I Scream (iscreamstore.com) ice cream parlor is a family-orientated retro-style soda fountain where kids can feast on play dough or cotton candy flavored ice cream while adults enjoy coffee and Italian pastry. Of course, adults don't have to order an adult dessert. They can try some of the other specially blended flavors such as Road Runner Raspberry, a white chocolate ice cream with raspberry swirls and chocolate and raspberry candy, or Chocolate Donut Delight, vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered donuts and fudge swirl. I Scream also serves soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt and they will custom tailor any sundae, milkshake or smoothie that customers want concocted.
The Grand Lux Café (grandluxcafe.com) is part of a small chain of high-end, full-dinner restaurants inspired by Europe's grand cafes. Desserts are baked-to-order and choices include rustic apple pie, roasted pineapple upside-down cake and a box of warm, chocolate chip and pecan cookies. Owners of The Cheesecake Factory helped launch the Grand Lux and their cheesecakes have a prominent spot on the dessert menu that also features regional sweets such as warm sticky bun pudding and New Orleans-style beignets. The café also serves a variety of dessert coffees including cafe latte, cafe mocha and cappuccino made with caramel and vanilla.
At Stone Cold Creamery (coldstonecreamery.com), customers design their own dessert. They choose an ice cream flavor from a long list that runs the gamut from chocolate and French vanilla to green-apple gummy bear and French toast. Next they pick any candy, fruit, cookies, cake, nuts or sauces they wanted blended in. They can opt for raspberries and white chocolate chips or graham cracker pie crust and Butterfinger pieces. There's also the choice between a plain or a chocolate-dipped waffle cone bowl. If that's too many decisions, the creamery also has a list of designer desserts to choose from as a well as milkshakes, smoothies and iced coffees.
