Fair warning, in any other location I would be giving Cafe Melissa a four star review, but because they are located in Lorain--a definite quality food desert, I'm going with a five star review. Location -does- matter.
Cafe Melissa is a cute, unassuming looking place off the side of a busy road and somewhat in a shopping mall. Inside though, it is really well decorated and a pretty, calm, and fun place to be. The service has always been good, the food has always been yummy, and the beer specials are super cool. (They have a selection of $2 beers all the time--awesome!)
My one real beef with this place is that it is an a la carte style menu, which I generally hate. Unlike most places that use it though, I really think that at Cafe Melissa you are getting what you pay for. Yeah, it can sometimes feel like you're overpaying by a couple bucks, but then you eat your food and you decide you're okay with it.
Over the times that I've been here I've probably sampled about 40% of the menu because I'm generally always there with family and I try everything on the table. I love the fried green tomatoes and the goat cheese gnocchi. The stuffed artichoke hearts are a great idea but the filling needs a bit more 'punch' to it. The Portuguese stew is very yummy and exceedingly generous in its portions of fish. The steak on top of mashed potatoes are -amazing-. And the garlicky spinach is basically manna from heaven.
The only thing I really dislike about this place is that the booths are done with a completely straight back. If you have any back or shoulder issues at all, it will be torture to sit in one of those. I have no idea why anyone would put that kind of booth in--it might look ascetically pleasing, but it's physical torture.