DESSERT

The New Orleans sweet tooth craves just as many flavors and varieties as the rest of the local cuisine's offerings. The Flauta Dulce from Taqueria Corona is a vanilla cheesecake with banana rolled into a flauta and served with strawberry sauce. Brennan's serves its original Bananas Foster with the richly sweet brown sugar and rum sauce prepared tableside. A traditional New Orleans favorite — doberge cake — is offered in chocolate, caramel and half-and-half versions at Gambino's Bakery. Dessert heavyweight Ben and Jerry's has invented many wackily named ice cream flavors including the Dublin Mudslide, an Irish cream liqueur ice cream with chocolate chocolate chip cookies and a coffee fudge swirl. Le Citron Bistro keeps it short and sweet with the rich chocolate Jack Daniels cake ‡ la mode. Bank Café has a pineapple upside down cake with tropical fruit and basil ice cream. Feelings Café will make you feel real good with the peanut butter pie. Chevy's sweetens meals with the Ooey Gooey Chewy Sundae or their flan with caramel sauce. Fortuna's adds a twist to a New Orleans classic with their beignets stuffed with fruit.

Phoenicia offers the Middle Eastern Namoura, a combination of mixed coconut, farina and yogurt with orange water and syrup. Aladdin's provides a Mediterranean treat called Moamul, a pastry made of farina, sweetened with rose water, filled with ground walnuts and topped with powdered sugar. Fellini's offers a bananas Foster dessert pie. The Loop Pizza Grill in Mandeville hand dips its ice cram shakes and adds Oreos or Butterfingers.

The Longbranch in Abita Springs mixes two classics together with their Banana Pudding Brulee, a créme brulee topped with whipped cream and cat tongue cookies. Morton's Steakhouse goes over the top with hot chocolate cake, key lime pie made fresh daily, souffles of lemon, chocolate or raspberry, and grand marnier. Shula's Steak House bakes a chocolate soufflé for two. If you're looking for a late night treat in the Quarter, Krystal's has a hot apple turnover. The Chocolate Chocolate Tower may put you over the edge at Outback with its layers of moist chocolate cake and smooth chocolate filling with a raspberry sauce. Creole Creamery offers a variety of dessert combinations including the Skyscraper, a tall creation of cookies and cream, chocolate and vanilla layered with caramel, hot fudge and crushed Oreo cookies served with whipped cream and a cherry. Sophie's Gelato proves that fruit and indulgence mix well in their banana split, a large piling of three scoops of gelato of any flavor, with any two toppings like almonds or caramel topped with whip cream and a cherry. The Mile High Pie at Café Pontchartrain is a rich mountain of Neapolitan ice cream enveloped in a light vanilla meringue, topped with dark, rich, gooey chocolate sauce, served with whipped cream and a cherry atop the peak. At Emeril's the banana cream pie with banana crust is a massive concoction drizzled with caramel sauce and chocolate shavings.

The chocolate hazelnut truffle at Tommy's Cuisine on Tchoupitoulas Street is an elegantly chilled bittersweet chocolate mousse with cream anglaise, topped with roasted hazelnuts and whipped cream. The Melting Pot rounds out their menu by dipping fresh Louisiana strawberries in a decadent chocolate fondue. The New Orleans Grill at the Windsor Court tantalizes with the almond créme brulee with roasted rhubarb, wild strawberry jus and rhubarb sorbet with almond macaroons. And who could forget the French Quarter favorite beignets at Café Du Monde. Flora Gallery & Coffee Shop touts its homemade baklava. Nola Java offers king cake year round. The tiramisu at D. Lamarque's is topped with coffee liqueur syrup. Morning Call serves their beignets any time of day, breakfast or dessert. Laurel Street Bakery bakes all of their own cakes, pies and muffins. Still Perkin' takes pride in its gigantic cookies. If cakes like chocolate ecstasy and New York cheesecake sound alluring, head over to Rue de la Course for coffee and dessert. Haagen-Dazs ice cream is a late night indulgence at the Treasure Chest Casino's Pontchartrain Café.