You Love Bobbys?

Down Printer's Alley, which is between East State Street and East Oakland Avenue in Doylestown, you will find a restaurant and bar called Bobby Simone's. The first interesting point, you will notice, when you walk up to the eatery, is that it occupies two separate buildings. One side of the venue houses the restaurant, the other houses a large bar and a room for private functions (both sides have bars). With the warm air (hopefully!!!) here to stay for the summer, what you will love is the “indoors comes outdoors” feel of the bar. There are several tables available to eat outside (one being large enough for a very big group of diners). These table are all set up on the cement between the two buildings, a refreshing change from the traditional sidewalk lineup that most restaurants offer for outside dining. All of the windows on the building housing the larger bar open completely, such that it feels like the bar and the patio is actually one fluid space. We arrived for dinner around 7:30 PM on a Friday night, and live music was in full swing. Even though we had no reservation, we were easily able to procure a patio table (from what I understand however, a reservation is usually a safe bet). We could hear the singers crooning “Sweet Home Alabama” and other snappy tunes from outside, and the pack of people milling between the 2 bars made for a lively feeling (if you enjoy that sort of thing). I would venture to guess that our experience would have been very peaceful and quiet had we chosen to eat inside of the dining room (which is strategically placed in the building opposite the larger bar and live music), offering diners a choice in ambiance.

Since we had been out for a drink with friends at a different venue earlier in the evening, we skipped appetizers, although the options looked quite appetizing. Starters range from hummus to oysters to quesadillas. There is a also a healthy selection of salads, which can easily be made an entree with the addition of salmon, chicken, jumbo shrimp or crab cakes. Bobby Simone's wine by the glass are in the $9-$11 range, and their selection is decent. An additional point of interest regarding the menu is that you can opt for more casual, inexpensive fare such as burgers or a chicken sandwich, or go for the full blown entrees at a higher cost, depending on your mood. For an entree, I chose their Ancho Rubbed Ahi Tuna. My dining partner, who this evening happened to be my husband Sal, chose Chef Carved Rack of Lamb. Lamb happens to be one of his favorite meals to order. We both ordered our items on the rarer side, as endorsed by our waitress. Our food arrived timely, and it was very tasty and prepared as requested. Two critical comments: 1- We never did receive bread until after our food arrived. We watched the guests sitting directly next to us receive bread as soon as they sat, and I actually had to ask for some as well. I will say though that the young boy in charge of bread seemed to be new at his job, so I guess I can cut him a little slack :). 2- The food wasn't super hot. Sal and I both separately commented on the fact that the food could have been warmer. We were sitting outside though, and it wasn't a super warm night, so the food would of course cool off quickly, especially being prepared on the rare side.

All in all, I would definitely choose Bobby Simone's again. It's a great place to chill out and relax on a summer evening, and the food quality is good. You can visit their website at www.ilovebobbys.com (That's why there is no apostrophe in my title).

So tell me this– do you love Bobby's? Please leave your comments about this restaurant below! We'd love to hear what you have to say.