I loved the TV show “Cheers.” It was funny, engaging and most of all provided viewers with a longing for the kind of place where everyone knows your name. A home away from home.

Fairfield County can be decidedly “unCheery.” There are so many high-end restaurants and gourmet bistros where you can be pretty sure no one will remember you once you pay the bill. This is why it was a very nice surprise to find the Hideaway in Ridgefield, a real neighborhood hangout.

Nobody yelled “Jane!” when I walked in the door (as they did for Norm), but even though it was my first time there, I felt very comfortable. The Hideaway has been through a number of incarnations. It was once a “rough around the edges” bar for many years and had a loyal clientele (many of whom rode motorcycles). Now it is more family oriented and civilized, but the casual ambiance is still there.

I was excited to eat here. It is one mile from my house and yet I never tried it, an unusual occurrence for a restaurant critic. I took a friend of mine along and we dug into the menu, which is surprisingly vast, but not in the way of some Greek-American diners that apparently can produce souvlaki, prime rib, strawberry shortcake, fried clams and everything under the sun in five minutes.

My eye was immediately drawn to one dish, “Beef Ghoulash.” Two factors are at work here: First, I am of Hungarian descent; and second, because I have never seen goulash spelled as if it were a Halloween special. One rarely finds this dish on any menu in Connecticut and I was pleasantly surprised when it was served. It came in a pretty white enamel casserole pot, a small Dutch oven actually. Lifting the lid let the rich aroma of slow cooking come forth. The “Ghoulash” was classically cooked, falling apart pieces of beef long simmered with onions and spices and served on broad egg noodles. It was delicious.

The dish comes with a choice of salads. I chose Caesar, which was OK. The best thing was the shards of Parmesan cheese on top. My friend (the vegetarian) was delighted to see a broad choice of things she could eat. While I sat across from her digesting a cow, she ate a multilayered sandwich on a whole-wheat bun. The sandwich was striated with avocado, eggplant, roasted tomato and brie, with a choice of sweet potato fries, skinny french fries or onion rings. She got the french fries despite my best attempt to psychically change her mind to onion rings.

The Hideaway is a bustling place. During the day there are business people here, as well a families with small children. The four TVs are loud and even if you sit at the far end of the dining room you will hear them. At night, the drinking crowd pours in along with the sports-watching crowd and on weekends both are joined by those who come to hear live rock music.

On another visit I ditched the vegetarian and went with a fellow carnivore. I had heard the hamburgers were worth a special nod and, yes, they are very good, thick and juicy with as many types of cheese, onions and condiments as you can hope for. It is unusual to find a place with so many options for both meat eaters and fans of only vegetables.

I tried a Cobb Salad, the classic melange of hard-boiled eggs, bacon, blue cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red peppers, cukes and croutons. It was about as good a Cobb Salad as I have eaten recently, and a dish I will order again.

I would also recommend the ciopinno, which is not cheap, but is a huge brothy stew crowded with lobster, mussels, shrimp and scallops over linguinie. It is less vividly seasoned than the classic San Francisco version, but it is high-quality seafood and lots of it.

I also liked the shepherd’s pie, billed on the menu as “Austrian Shepherd’s Pie”… really? Austrian? Maybe Australian, certainly British (it is Keith Richards’ favorite dish). Classic shepherd’s pie is made with lamb. At the Hideaway it is ground beef and peas in a dark and savory gravy. Good mashed potatoes, melted cheddar and frizzled onions complete the dish. It is not for the bird-like eater.

This is not much of a dessert house. In fact, if you ask about desserts you will be handed the kiddie menu and told to look on the back. Surprisingly the desserts were quite good, not throwaways as I suspected. My favorite was the apple pie, which was topped with warm caramel sauce and yummy vanilla ice cream.

Now that I know about the Hideaway, I will be back, and maybe in time people will call out “Jaaaaane!” as I walk through the front door. Here’s hoping.