Sanders Candy & Dessert Shop 16837 Kercheval St., Grosse Pointe Park; 313-882-4966: You'll find plenty of flavors of ice cream here: moose tracks, chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream, chocolate, strawberry, butter pecan, Mackinac Island fudge, mint chip, black cherry, "Bumpy Cake 'n' Cream" and "Superman." All can be made into sundaes, shakes, sodas, malts or the venerable Boston Cooler, here dubbed a "Detroit Cooler" (Vernor's ginger ale and ice cream).

Shatila Bakery & Café 14300 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn; 313-582-1952: Don't be confused by the fruit names — these are not sherbets. They combine fruit purees with butterfat to produce that rich velvety texture that only cream can bestow. Nonfruit ice creams are equally inspired. The array of Mediterranean and European pastries is vast and changes daily. Shatila has a few nonsweet offerings, and they are quite tasty, not also-rans at all: sausage rolls, a tangy and flaky spinach pie and tiny star-shaped cheese pastries. Shatila's high-ceilinged space is filled with customers sipping coffee or raw fruit juices, busting their diets, and enjoying the air-conditioning.

Treat Dreams 22965 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-544-3440: Scott Moloney is the emperor of ice cream. Read the flavor board in his Ferndale bakery and micro-creamery and you might believe that you've somehow entered a fantasy world where anything can be made into a dairy-based dessert. Who knew that purple yam, potato chips, jalapeno peppers and chicken are all legitimate ice cream ingredients? In Moloney's able hands, unconventional but inspired flavors just keep coming. He reckons he has made about 110 flavors, with another 50 or so written down and an additional 30 to 40 based on customer requests. Some flavors are quite zany (chicken and waffles, for instance), and others simply novel but appealing, such as honey-lavender, lemon-basil, dark chocolate peanut butter curry, salty caramel, avocado-lime, bananas Foster, pistachio-wasabi, and more. Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday through Saturday.

Uncle Ray's Dairyland 1462 N. Leroy, Fenton; 810-629-1791; uncleraysdairyland.com: The Uncle Ray's empire includes not just Uncle Ray's Dairyland, with its hand-scooped, boutique ice cream treats, but also the Heavenly Halo Burger and Uncle Ray's Mini-Golf. Sounds like an outing for the whole family, with the chance to work off some calories in the bargain.

Wally's Frozen Custard 20898 Harper Ave., Harper Woods; 313-343-9059; wallysfrozencustard.net: Your typical roadside frozen yogurt stand, with vanilla, chocolate, twist or flavor of the week, ranging from $1.30 for a "baby" to $3.50 for a waffle cone. In addition, there are sundaes, shakes, coolers (floats), slushies, banana splits, frozen custard pies, strawberry shortcake, an avalanche, and more. Their ice cream is sold to go by the pint or quart. What's more, they have their very own fire engine, which has been converted into a "party engine," and it's available for rental.

See any errors or omissions? Let us know! Send comments to mjackman@metrotimes.com or call 313-202-8043.

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