One result of Ruidoso being a laid-back tourist town is an abundance of specialty food shops where customers can indulge their cravings for sweets and other treats that might not be as much on the mind if they were at home following the normal hectic schedule. Crème de la Cream seems to have found a good market for its slightly pricey but very good desserts and wide variety of sweets that are served. This is a "dessert restaurant" where customers are seated as in a regular restaurant (take-out is also available), but the only items on the menu are desserts. Everything served is freshly made, and I think is worthy of having its own restaurant.

One of Crème de la Cream's specialties is coffee to go with the food, and other cold and hot drinks are available. Fresh fruit is served with just about every order, specializing in fresh strawberries and rasperries. It is open from noon until early dinner time, and is open late on weekends.

Sierra Blanca mousse cake

My favorite item was the Berry Bash Pie that was one of about four varieties that were available when I went. The first thing I noticed was that the crust was just about perfect--interesting but not too sweet. The crust was firm and not crumbly, but easy to cut with a fork. The filling, though, was especially noteworthy, with the berries being fresh and ripe with just the right amount of sweetener. I have found many places in Ruidoso that seemed to be of inferior quality but succeeded simply because there was little competition. Crème de la Cream, though, is genuinely worthy of a visit, and I thought this was especially true with the pie.