Americans have a deep affection for bistros.  These down-to-earth restaurants may be reminiscent of the pubs and cafes of Europe, but they’re also uniquely and robustly stateside in flavor.  The best ones are crowded, sometimes loud and always fun.  Think Cheers, the spirited gathering place of television fame.  And consider, too, the thousands of other welcoming eateries around this country who unpretentious charms make meeting good friend there over food and drink both a ritual and on of life’s delectable little pleasures.

For those looking for a local spot with tasty fare and similar “everybody knows your name” potential, I suggest checking out Chambers 19 Bistro & Bar in Doylestown, PA.  Within the last year, new ownership, a new name, a new attitude and a new chef seem to have breathed new life into this venerable Main Street establishment.  That’s certainly the impression my friends and I took away after recently eating at the casual and engaging spot.

It was Friday night.  We didn’t need to take more than a few steps into the cozily lit front-of-the-house lounge area to know that Chambers 19 is definitely one of the preferred places to be at the close of a workweek.  Guests already perched on bar stools or sitting at tables had picked up on the management’s cheerful and earnest effort to make everyone feel immediately welcome.  We sure did.  Good cheer permeated the room packed with people having a heck of a good time.

Ushered to our table across the room the bustling bar, my friends and I were likewise encouraged to sit back and relax.  Also, as our personable server added, we might want to think about a cocktail.  This included the option of ordering from Chambers 19’s special martini menu (featuring, appropriately, nineteen variations on the popular cocktail).  Minutes later, our drink selections  in hand, we raised our glasses in a toast to the start of a pleasurable and delicious time together.

This is the sort of moment that the owners of Chambers 19 are delighted to make happen.  It’s why Carole and David Moore bought the place back in 2002.  And when Matthew (Matt) Caffrey and his wife, Adrienne, signed on last year as co-owners, the Moore’s initial investment was reinvigorated.  (The restaurant gained the talents of a resourceful manager, administrator and executive chef in Matt and invaluable creative input from Adrienne.)  Come to Chambers 19 on a Friday night and you are sure to meet David and Matt .  Both are upbeat hosts.  They’re constantly taking the pulse of the room (and that also includes the restaurant’s larger understated dining area to the rear), greeting new arrivals, knowing the exact moment to stop by for a friendly chat or to ask how you’re enjoying your meal.

My tablemates’ up-close-and-personal comments on the dishes they sampled were made up of consistent kudos.  “Fantastic” and “delicious” were neatly applied to the restaurant’s extremely popular Crab bread (sic) starter—a decadent abundance of lump crabmeat heaped high on a fresh, grilled baguette and baked with a creamy topping of specially blended cheese.  Wow.  A word, I might add, also uttered while tasting another of the restaurant’s appetizers, the Chambers Pate.  “My soup is great,” said one satisfied friend, exclaiming over a Spicy Crab and Shrimp Sherry Forestier, the lusciously rich homemade soup du jour.  And then the table came alive with equally positive critiques of such main-course winners and the Pan-seared Salmon ($16.95), a homemade Vegetable Moussaka ($14.95), my elegant Crab Imperial Stuffed Flounder and yet another of Caffery’s signature dishes, Chicken Bartlett DiSarona—a breast of chicken sautéed with fresh pears and capped by a heavenly cream sauce laced with amaretto.

Homemade desserts beckon to those looking for the sweet, high-powered jolt of chocolate mousse, tiramisu, bread pudding, crème brulee or ice cream to hallmark the finishing touches of their meals.  We declined the treats this time, having let our appetites run too freely during the previous courses.  By this time, we were also aware of the rousing live music performance that had begun in our midst.  The room was abuzz with music lovers who had just arrived and were eager to listen to their favorite vocalist.  The bistro offers live music every weekend, no cover charge.  Forsaking dessert, we surrendered to the sound.  (Speaking of cool, the bistro also hosts live entertainment during its Wednesday Hookah Night.  Another opportunity for music lovers, sure;  but also a boon to those interested in exploring the smoking of exotic tobaccos in an Eastern tobacco pipe.)

Chambers 19 Bistro and Bar:  it’s fun, it’s unique, it’s inviting.  Create a place where community, camaraderie and delicious cuisine are on tap, and they will come.  It’s marvelous when former old favorites are invested with new life.  That seems to be what’s happened here.