Feb 29

Sugar and Plumm, Purveyors of Yumm!!

Sugar and Plumm, Purveyors of Yumm is a lovely retail shop, bakery and eatery that recently opened in The Bergen Town Center in Paramus. When you approach Sugar and Plumm you are mesmerized by the whimsical window displays. They are eye catching and beautiful with candy delights and the memory of childhood whimsy.

The store is modern and inviting. When you enter through the retail portion there is a huge candy bar where you can mix and match your favorites, a large M&M dispensary on one wall, a great selection on nostalgic candy. There are also plush animals, stationary, games, books, and mugs to name a few of the many items.

The specialty bakery is filled with home made confections, cakes, and candy from their own kitchen in Moonachie. Some of the gourmet delights include fudge, bite size carrot cakes, tarts, cake pops, and chocolate bark. There is a lot of detail put into the artisan goods. They will also make custom cakes for all occasions.

The restaurant portion of the store serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are chefs making homemade crepes before your eyes. The smell and ingredients makes it hard to order anything else. The menu has a variety of smoothies, crepes, waffles, soups, salads, sandwiches, and dinner entrees. The menu is just the right size.

On our visit we ordered the banana chocolate crepe with fresh strawberries. The presentation was good, the homemade crepe was flavorful and the melted chocolate was perfect. We also had the 7-grain chicken sandwich, which had avocado, tomato, pea shoots, and boursin spread. The ingredients were fresh and homemade bread was good with a hard crust, if you like that. We also ordered a mango smoothie, which had good mango flavor. It was very thick and came with a nostalgic paper straw that got soft within ten minutes and made it difficult to drink. (Ask for a plastic one!)

It was difficult to choose which gourmet dessert to try so we split the chocolate caramel tart. It had a wonderful mousse texture and chocolate flavor. However, I did not taste any caramel.

Overall it was a good experience with some fine specialty foods. The service was attentive and accommodating. This is a treat for North Jersey Foodies to visit with or without children. Please note though the only allergy warning on their website states, “Our products are packed and made in a kitchen where dairy, soy, peanuts, and other nut products are used.” In reality I was told by the manager all of their gourmet-baked goods are made with almond flour.

www.sugarandplumm.com
Sugar and Plumm
620 Bergen Town Center
Paramus, New Jersey
201-880-8156

Jan 25

Jersey Devil Chocolates

The Jersey Devil Chocolate is a dark chocolate bar with chipotle spice and cranberries.  It was named after the Jersey Devil who has been part of New Jersey folklore for over 250 years and some say still lurks in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

When coming up with the idea of Jersey Devil Chocolates the Waksman Family could not have done a better job, dark chocolates, super fruits, and spice. This specialty chocolate bar combines them all nicely.  New Jersey is the third largest producer of cranberries and combing that with the spicy devil is a great tribute to the state.

When you open the wrapper you see a beautiful dark chocolate bar.  When you break off a piece you can see pink and red cranberries popping out at you. Don’t let the devil and flames on the packaging fool you.  The spice is not overpowering or burning.  When you first taste the chocolate it is the sweetness of the cranberries that sits on your tongue.  A moment later you say “OH!  There’s the devil spice!”  The combination with the smooth dark chocolate is very unique.

This specialty chocolate bar is a find for North Jersey Foodies.  Another thing we love is that it is a truly a North Jersey family business.  The Waksman family came up with the idea together over dinner, blended and sampled together, and their fourteen year old son drew the picture of the devil for the packaging.

 

You can check out more on their website www.JerseyDevilChocolates.com, Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/JerseyDevilChocolates, Amazon Jersey Devil Chocolates – Dark Chocolate, Chili and Cranberries – Chocolate Bar Chocolate.com, Find the Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift at Chocolate.com

If you have any other great North Jersey Foodie finds please post a reply for all of us to discover!

Visit Jersey Devil Website