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As many of you already know, I turned 25 on Valentine’s Day this year. I know…I had to get a new license and everything. So, Jason planned a very special (surprise) date night for me to celebrate my quarter life crisis.

I won’t go into all the sappy details (that I love!) because I’m sure you don’t really want to hear it. BUT, the evening started off amazingly with a trip over to our destination city in the Cleveland Plus area: Independence/ Valley View, OH.

Jason booked a hotel for us, but didn’t quite tell me what I was walking into. As I entered the room, music was playing and everything was decked out with roses, petals, balloons, candies, etc. There was even a bottle of champagne on ice, just waiting to be enjoyed! (He’s amazing, and if you’d like to see what the room looked like,  here’s a link)  A couple of moments later, room service came up with chocolate covered strawberries, a raspberry and white chocolate mousse and more champagne! I was completely blown away. Just in case you ever stay in the great city of Independence, I really recommend this hotel.

Valentine's Day | Cleveland, OH | iCarabout.com

It was getting closer to our dinner reservation time (which was still a surprise to me), so Jason called down for a ride over to the restaurant. He asked for anything but a flashy checkered cab and they pulled around a classy, town car for us.  We were both extremely impressed with the hotel’s attention to detail.  But I was way more impressed with Jason’s thoughtfulness! On top of the nice ride, the driver gave us a little history lesson about the area and the canal as we headed over to Valley View.

The driver pulled us up to a really cool building and I saw the sign that read “Lockkeepers“. I was so excited! I’ve never been to this restaurant, but I’ve heard amazing things and even commercials on the radio.  As we walked in, the atmosphere oozed romance and swankiness.  The man who greeted us informed us that our table was not ready just yet and that we could take a seat at the bar if we would like to wait.  At this time I didn’t realize this was all part of Jason’s instructions that he had sent to them in advance.  He wanted to be able to relax at the bar and enjoy some great conversation and wine before dinner started.

As we approached the bar, the bartender gave us wine lists.  He walked away for a moment for us to look at them, all the while he was in on the secret that Jason had already arranged for us to be served a bottle of my favorite wine. How cute is that?! He brought it over and as we sipped our Malbec, we chatted and were soon seated at a cozy table by the window with an amazing view.

Our server was went above and beyond for us.  She brought over our crab cake appetizer and recited the most complicated, long, menu of specials I’ve ever heard. (I gave her a fist bump to celebrate how awesome she was).  We had the tomato soup, which was PHENOMENAL, and the chef sent us over the lobster ravioli to try!

Lockkeepers | Cleveland, OH | iCarabout.com

Jason tried the Surf and Turf with lobster tail, Filet Mignon, asparagus and a potato cake.  I had the Seafood Risotto with shrimp, scallops and topped with a lobster tail.  We shared and let me tell you…everything was incredible.  You know that blissful, comforting feeling you have when you eat something simply divine? That’s what this dinning experience was like, but x10.

Lockkeepers | Cleveland, OH | iCarabout.com

By the time we finished that feast of gloriousness, I had no room for dessert (although the options looked fabulous).  Little did I know, Jason had mentioned in his thorough instructions that it was my 25th birthday and that it was very important that I was treating like a princess. (I don’t know if he included the “princess” part, but it seemed like it!) Before I could refuse dessert, our waitress brought out plate with mini torts on it with a little, edible, Happy Birthday sign.

Lockkeepers | Clevleand, OH | iCarabout.com

All I can say is that Lockkeepers was probably the best FULL restaurant experience I’ve ever had. Every part of it was incredible and they treated us like we were celebrities. How many times can you go into a nice restaurant on one of their busiest nights of the year and be treated like you’re the only ones there? That’s pretty tough to accomplish. A lot of time you’ll get the atmosphere or the service, but the food is only so-so. Not at Lockkeepers. You don’t sacrifice a thing.  On top of that, Jason was blown away how closely they followed all of his instructions.

Lockkeepers | Cleveland, OH | iCarabout.com

After dinner, our driver picked us up and took us down to the canal while sharing some more history about Cleveland. It was a fantastic and thoughtful end to our romantic meal.  We spent the rest of the night relaxing and sipping champagne at the hotel room.  We even had breakfast in bed the next morning! Seriously, this was the most perfect birthday/Valentine’s Day in the world.

I hope if you get anything from this, it’s these things:

1) Jason Murphy is the man.  (And he’s my man!)

2) Take the trip to Valley View and try Lockkeepers. You WILL NOT be disappointed.

3) Explore date night ideas in the Cleveland Plus areas! You’ll discover so many cool new things about this great city of ours. Whether it be learning some history, finding a new favorite restaurant, or just seeing what you can get into. You’re bound to have a great adventure.