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Sweet Melissa's Confections and Eatery
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dessert
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
13 reviews for Sweet Melissa's Confections and Eatery
Sweet Melissa's feels like a regular restaurant, nothing too spectacular about it at first blush - but read the fine print at the bottom of their menus and you'll find that the meat they buy and serve is hormone and antibiotic-free, the greens are locally grown and some of the items are certified organic. It doesn't at all feel like a vegetarian hippie joint though and neither does the menu and therefore is interesting to me.
The fried green tomato appetizer was delicious. The breading had just the right amount of seasoning, the horseradish ranch added to it nicely however the spiced apple chutney was totally incongruous and is best eaten after the tomatoes are gone. The burger tasted... how can I say it... burgery. I could actually taste the meat which sounds weird I know, but I am sure it has to do with the quality of the beef they buy.
Blue Moon, Great Lakes, among other beers - pints for $3, all the parking you could want and a fully stacked dessert case. We were too stuffed for it, but two words for you: red. velvet.
I love eating here! The warm goat cheese salad is perfect. Refills on the Iced Tea are a nice touch and the desserts are de-lish altho' I can rarely save room for them. We always stop in when we're on the west side and have never had a bad meal.
Love their chicken salad. The herbed bread is to die for!
I had the opportunity to go to Sweet Melissa's over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised by the food, service, and atmosphere. I walked in through the back entrance and thought I was walking into some hole in the wall sandwich shop, but once I made it into the dining room, I was impressed by the layout (really open) and the wall/pastry cases (plural - important to note) dedicated to desserts.
Our very attentive server took care of our every need. I started out my meal with the best fried green tomatoes I've ever had in my life. And I like fried green tomatoes, so I eat them everywhere. They came with a nice horseradish sauce on the side and an apple compote of sorts. I shared them with my dining companions and we all thought they were excellent. I had a harder time selecting an entree, since there were so many delicious sounding options and a bounty of vegetarian options. (a real rarity in this town) I ended up selecting the Mediterranean pasta. It was whole wheat penne with sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, pine nuts, spinach, and artichokes in a vegetable broth. I don't always like whole wheat pasta, but the flavors meshed so well in this dish. Everything tasted so fresh - and looked so beautiful.
My friends tried the veggie omelet, the goat cheese salad, and the tuna entree salad and were very happy with their meals. After finishing my meal (I could have licked the plates), I gawked at the pastry case for what seemed like forever. There were a variety of tarts, cookies, pies, cakes, and brownies. I settled on two brownies which I haven't eaten yet, but they looked and smelled amazing. The menu noted that Sweet Melissa's has award-winning desserts and I wouldn't doubt it based on the presentation of the selection.
I can guarantee that I'll be going back to Sweet Melissa's to try some more of their delicious sounding food - and hopefully soon.
I used to go to Max's Deli relatively frequently over the years, and while there were always cyclical complaints about how "it used to be better..." but I always enjoyed it. Especially the desserts Now Max's is gone, and Sweet Melissa's has opened in it's place, and I have found it to be a suitable replacement. As mentioned in other reviews, the food is very similar to the fare Max's used to offer- a good selection of deli-esque standards with some modern touches. While I have yet to try something that I didn't enjoy, claims that it is a bit over-priced are probably more accurate than not. That being said, the food IS good, so if you're not pinching pennies, there is no reason to avoid SM's.
The Mac and Cheese, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Fries are excellent appetizers/sides, and Jenna's grilled cheese is a delicious, if deceptively (WAY more than just cheese + BACON!) named sandwich.
The dessert case rivals that of Max's. Definitely something for everyone, or in my case a nearly impossible set of choices to make. SM's would be a suitable stop for dessert only, and honestly, after a filling meal there, dessert would be a challenge anyway.
A fairy tale for you:
Once, there was a restaurant called Max's Deli. Max's Deli was, like Tommy's, a decent restaurant that had a following that bordered on the cultish. Max's won tons of annual "Best of" awards from the local magazines, mainly on the basis of the fact that it had a) frickin' awesome sweet potato fries, and b) the best dessert case in all of Cleveland. If you wanted sugar, Max's was your sugar daddy.
Then Max's closed its doors unexpectedly, saying they'd move to a new location. They didn't. Lord knows what happened, it's a mystery. Instead, Sweet Melissa's opened in the same location, with pretty much the same food, and a slightly revamped (though thankfully not too much) dessert case.
I've spoken to the people who work here. They seem to think it's an entirely different dining experience, and... well, it isn't. It's overpriced deli food that'd probably be ranked four stars IF all the food was two bucks less, but it is good and filling stuff that you won't regret eating.
The sad bit is that it stands in the shadow of Max's Deli, when really, it's just as good as Max's ever was - it just lost that weird cachet that frankly, Max's probably didn't deserve. It's definitely a solid place to go for lunch, and I still get a hankerin' for their sandwiches.
BUT their dessert case is still filled with delightful wonderments - rich cakes, wonderful cookies, and a delectable S'mores style creation where I walked back after I was done and ordered another two to go. They use a blowtorch to melt the marshmallows. And how cool is that?
Sweet Indeed!
I avoided the sweet & went for the salty however, I cannot deny I was seriously tempted to try the bevy of beautiful delicacies in the dessert case.
The Coffee was good and they kept the refills comin'. I sat at the bar and enjoyed good interactions with the staff; the were friendly and willing to answer questions concerning the menu.
I went with the fantabuluos Grilled Cheese which included fried green tomatoes, goat cheese, mustard, cheddar, and bacon (May I mention that it was a whole pound of bacon packed on this sandwich? YUMMM!) all topped on grilled sourdough bread. The sandwiches are large enough to split and there is a huge pickle that comes pinned on top. While I opted not to eat the homemade potato chips, they did look mouthwatering. I ordered the fries and had half regular and half sweet potato. These are by far, the best sweet potato fries I have encountered in the Greater Cleveland area. The fries are also another hugeamongous portion, so be prepared to share. Yay for Sweet Melissa's! I also highly recommend, for those who enjoy condiments, that you give all of the in-house made varieties a try.
Sighs & Sweet Dreams about Sweet Melissa's to be sure!
They have super yummy hand cut fries. I am a huge fan of their roasted veggie chili too. It is a bit pricier than an average deli, but the ingredients seem fresh and the atmosphere is fun and light hearted. This place is a perfect spot for friends of any age to meet for a casual lunch or brunch. I think I might take my parents there the next time they are in town. Although, I think the sandwiches would be too big for my grandpa to handle!
Sweet Melissa's opened recently in the Max's Deli space in Rocky River. We ordered the BLT, the turkey club, bowl of matzo ball soup, fries, and tiramisu. Bill was around $35 for two.
The downside: Just a few kinks that need to be ironed out, most likely due to the fact that the place is newly opened. Tables are quite small for two people -- we were pressed for room. Sandwiches very very delicious, but come uncut -- hard to manage. Soups should arrive prior to the sandwich. Everything came at once, and there was no room on the table!
The upside: Enjoyed mostly everything we ordered, Cute decor much improved from Max's Deli, big bottle of complimentary water for the table (we went through two!), large portion sizes and menu with just about anything that you could want, close to where I live, complimentary bread/muffin basket, environmentally friendly policies.
Overall this is a cool place. A little more expensive than Maxi's Deli, but definitely has a more updated feel.
Since reopening from the shell of the closed Max's Deli, Sweet Melissa's has gotten better and better.Last Sunday, we stopped in for Sunday Brunch -highly recommended and a great value (I had the Veggie Omlette with Whole Wheat toast and my wife had the twin Belgian waffles. Very good (and the fruit and potatoes that accompanied the dishes were incredable!)Service was prompt and very helpful. Coffee was very tasty. Today I stopped in for a light dinner (Nicoise Salad) which was very well prepared and a generous helping. Dinners are -to me- a smidge pricey (Entree Salad was $12.) Service was excellant and friendy. I'm watching my diet, but the desserts here are legendary and - in fact - are wonderful. (My weakness is their chocolate cake.) Place is very clean. Other favorites - pistacio crusted grouper, fried green tomatoes and eggplant bake (like eggplant parmesan)....
Yesterday, I had the lobster bisque and the goat cheese salad. Both were excellent. I've also had the grilled cheese with fried green tomatoes, which is incredible. I drank the Arnold Palmer, sweet and tart with real lemonade, and had a sublime blueberry mini pie. I also love the bottle of chilled water on the tables. This has now become my favorite restaurant on the westside, with their innovative and fun food. I was never a fan of Max's except for the desserts, so I don't have a bias against this taking over the space. This is not a deli, and I'm glad for that.
I went there as a party of five last night (6/29) and it was an overall decent experience, FYI-they do not serve alcohol.
They deposited scones and lemon/strawberry muffins in lieu of the typical bread. The scones were very sweet, described by one as similar to fruit loops, and the muffins were decent.
I shared the Portobello Quesadilla and it was the best thing I ordered there. Cooked well, great ingredients and terrific taste.
I also had "The Chuck" hamburger. I had been craving a decent cheeseburger all week and unfortunately, this one fell short. It was made from Angus beef but the burger was rather bland and one other person felt it had a bizarre texture.
The presentation of all the meals, mostly sandwiches, was impressive with the artisan bread from Breadsmith, mixed greens and enormous half-pickles sliced lengthwise skewered on top of the sandwiches. The fresh-cut french fries were also good but a non-cloth basket would have been nice so that we could have added some vinegar to the fries.
Finally, we took a slice of tiramisu home. It was above average but not spectacular.
Ultimately, the portions are large, the food is good, the decor is great, and the price is perhaps above average, (~$37 for 1 quesadilla, 2 chuck burgers, 1 fries and slice of tiramisu). If you desire a place that uses organic ingredients and non-hormonal meat and prefer food prepared on premises, Sweet Melissa's prides itself on those aspects of its business.
I'd likely go again and try some of the other options.
I've eaten there several times, so I feel like I have a decent handle on it. First, for the food, it's slightly overpriced. Twelve bucks for a smallish bowl of risotto in this restaurant? I think they're taking themselves too seriously. The sandwiches have a lot of visual impact - large, thick, on what I believe is local Breadsmith bread. However there are a few problems: good luck with trying to eat it. They're big - not in a good way, but in an annoying, all the filling falls out COMPLETELY kind of way. Small bread, big filling. The grilled onions on the sandwiches I've had were at least an inch and a half thick - waaay too big, and not grilled through all the way. I love onions, but that large of a cut is ridiculous. The BLT had about a pound of bacon on it - again, visually impressive, gross in the actuality. And it was bland. The butternut/bacon risotto I had, had a lot of potential - it was comforting and the consistency was good, but I kept looking for a counterbalance of flavor that didn't happen - it needed a punch of something else. It was supposed to have been served with a cranberry chutney but it wasn't, and I should have asked. The salads are pretty good...but how difficult is a good salad? The tomato bisque is fairly pedestrian and really not that memorable. And the desserts; sorry, but I have the same opinion of SM as I did Max's - visual impact in the case, but it's "writin' checks it can't cash." Meaning, the overriding flavor: sweet. Period. And frankly, a lot of that stuff is stale - leaving the desserts in the case doesn't help it stay fresh (yes, some of it in the case is fake, but some is actual). They do have the best ice tea, hands down. All in all, not bad in an "it's close, I'm not feeling picky and I don't want to think about it " kind of way.