How Sweet It Is at Sweet Melissa

Sweet Melissa in Rocky River has been a lunch favorite of mine, but I had yet to visit for dinner. After discovering that they provide a number of gluten-free dishes, I decided to take my parents while they visited.

We started with drinks. My mom tried their Crème Soda special with vanilla vodka and ginger ale. My dad had an all-natural martini with bleu cheese olives— a special request that our server said she could make happen. I was thrilled to find they could make a drink favorite of mine— strongbow cider with currant syrup.

My dad and I started with salads. He had the wedge salad with bleu cheese that he found fairly average. (He said it's hard to screw up.) I thoroughly enjoyed my warm goat cheese salad with fried goat cheese, pine nuts and cranberries because how can one resist fried goat cheese?

For our meals, we each selected a pasta style dish and were surprised by the size. Mom was pleased with the lobster risotto which is made with rice instead of orzo so it was gluten free. I had the special of sweet potato gnocchi with chicken and bacon. The bacon was an unexpectedly delicious addition that added a salty crunch to the dish.

My dad enjoyed the chicken carbonara and luckily for me he sent it home with me. It was pretty spicy for my tastes but I found it creamy and full of flavor.

For dessert we had the gluten-free chocolate peanut butter torte which didn’t taste at all gluten free! The creamy peanut butter icing was the highlight of the dish.

Sweet Melissa is the kind of place you could go for a fun evening out with family or friends. The atmosphere was casual— not to slow, but certainly not rushed. It was an ideal place to catch up with my parents during their brief visit.

Sweet Melissa is located at 19337 Detroit Road in Rocky River. They take reservations at 440-333-6357 for parties larger than eight, though we didn’t have a problem getting a table. They open at 11 a.m. Monday through Friday and at 9 a.m. for brunch on the weekend. They close at 9 p.m. on Sunday, 10 p.m. during the week and at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.