It's so sweet on Sanibel: Sweet Melissa's shows the Way

We don't usually single out a restaurant when we advise our vacation rental guests on where they might want to dine. There are a wide variety of places to eat on the island that cater to a wide variety of tastes and budgets. So generally we will suggest several places when pushed for an answer.



And we most often tell our visitors that they should do a little research on their own. Looking at menus to assure that there is a nice selection is always helpful, as is evaluating reviews on such sites as TripAdvisor, Yelp and other review sites.



But, in our view, when we see and hear so many positive remarks about our Island dining alternatives, we have to take a moment to reflect.



Sweet Melissa's is one of those rare finds anywhere. The restaurant is rated number 3 of all restaurants reviewed on TripAdvisor and given many accolades on Yelp as well. But the most adulation can be read at Gulf Shore Magazine where in an article entitled "The Best Food in Lee County", leads with this statement: "One step inside Sweet Melissa’s elegant but unpretentious ambiance and we realized the connection (to the Allman brother's song) begins and ends with the name. Think burnt orange and other earthy tones, white tablecloths, professional servers and cozy, quiet dining rooms. Our first bites of food made us wish we could travel back to February of 2009, when Sweet Melissa’s first opened."



Then, in equally positive tones, the writers go on to rave about the flavors and choices: "Unable to choose just two, Tom and I tried half portions of three different entrées, fish stew ($29 whole/$17 half) with shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, fish and chorizo sausage in a tomato saffron broth with Pernod aioli; grilled smoked beef tenderloin ($34 whole/$19 half) with hickory, truffle whipped potato, sautéed spinach and bone marrow bordelaise; and the pan-seared mahi mahi ($26 whole/$15 half) with sweet potato, corn and crawfish hash and smoked tomato butter. A few bites into the experience, we just gaped at each other."



Now, keeping in mind that it's lunch hour as I write this post and my hunger quotient is up pretty high, even if it were not, those descriptions would certainly whet your appetite. And to seal the deal, this conclusion would have me running to Sweet Melissa's: "We practically wept over the desserts, which had to do with berries and homemade gelato on the one hand, and bananas and pecans on the other ($7 each)—not to mention fairy dust and angel’s wings."



So, if you are reading this post on Island, get thee to Sweet Melissa's. And if you are not here, then this delightful eatery could be a compelling reason to visit.



How sweet it is!