J and I had planned on going on a romantic weekend for quite a while but something else always came up. When we decided to travel to Findlay, Ohio for the University of Findlay Graduation Ceremony, it seemed like the perfect time to make a romantic weekend out of a quick in-state trip.We left in the morning of Saturday, December 13, 2008. The route to Findlay is easy- Ohio State Route 224 West all the way from Akron to Findlay. We were on our way! The drive was beautiful. We were lucky to have cold but clear weather. There was a dusting of snow in most places. The route has a few areas of multiple-lane roadway but most of it is a two lane highway, a single direction each way. We drove through small country towns with general stores and small gas stations with only a few old-time pumps. One of the highlights of the drive was passing a family homestead called ‘Castle Hill Farm’. The home on the property is just beautiful and stands proud in her age.
We arrived in Findlay right around noon and checked into our hotel. We enjoyed our stay at the Findlay Holiday Inn Express very much! The excellent customer service started before we even checked in. We arranged to have early check-in and our suite was available when we arrived. The hotel was very welcoming and comfortable. The room and bathroom were very spacious. We had a Jacuzzi suite with a king size bed. The room had two televisions- one large LG flat screen in the bedroom and a smaller TV hanging from the ceiling of the Jacuzzi area.
The highlight of our trip was dinner at the Bistro on Main in Findlay, Ohio! We chose this restaurant based on the recommendation of a business associate and the reviews on TripAdvisor. It seemed like the perfect place and it was! The ambiance of the restaurant is great! All the tables are intimate with white linen table clothes and art-glass lanterns. The artwork is eclectic and quirky. The color scheme of deep green with exposed brick was very nice as well. The service was great- our waitress made great suggestions and while attentive, did not overwhelm us with attention. 
She had excellent timing when it came to removing our dishes when we were finished and never asked us a question while our mouths were full! We ordered the Brie Brule to start, enjoyed our salads (Hot Bacon Spinach salad and Bistro salad) and our main courses were amazing! I had the Al Forno which is spinach pasta in asiago cream sauce and Josh very much enjoyed the Kobe Beef and Shrimp surf & turf. Every bite was exceptional. We live almost 3 hours away from the Bistro and are planning to visit Findlay again just to try other dishes!We spent our evening sitting the in tub, drinking champagne and watching the Cleveland Cavaliers game. We also packed a basket with wine and cheese and enjoyed a late-night picnic. We checked out the next morning and made the drive home. Although we didn’t spend much time out of town and even though we didn’t enjoy many sites, we made a quick trip a very romantic one by simply enjoying getting away for a few days.
(Photos of the Bistro on Main found on their website.)
