One of the best meals of the trip was my 37th birthday dinner. Dan's parents watched the kids, so that Dan could take me out for a romantic seafood dinner.

After getting lost driving on small country roads, we finally found the ivy covered cottage that houses The Crab at Chieveley. Rain had poured all day and there were puddles dotting the rock pathway to the entrance. I liked the pop of color from the pots filled with flowers.

The interior of the restaurant was decked out in a nautical theme, with hanging nets and shells. I'm fairly certain that the owner of the restaurant personally took care of us. He was very attentive and gave us a table in an alcove next to a window. During our dinner, we watched the light slowly fade over the fields.

It's a well known fact that a glass of champagne is the only way to properly kick off a birthday dinner.

Dinner was fabulous. We started with fresh bread, a summer salad and escargot. The escargot was just dripping in garlic and cheese. Yummy.

For our main course, we split a giant platter of steamed shellfish. There was so much food hidden beneath the crab and oysters on top, that we just couldn't finish it all. It was a clown car of seafood. We had new potatoes and green beans for side dishes. It was a feast!

We really didn't have any room for dessert, yet our server surprised me with a plate of mini-brownies and decorative chocolate as he draped streamers over my shoulders and sang Happy Birthday. We washed the brownies down with Brandy and Irish Coffee. Decadent.

The Crab at Chieveley is the perfect restaurant for a special occasion. I will be pestering Dan to return here on our next trip to England.