DIVING IN 40 JANUARY 2014 I LIC COURIER I www.queenscourier.com Photo courtesy of Donnie D’Alessio/Queens Comfort Queens Comfort owner Donnie D’Alessio with “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” host Guy Fieri when the show fi lmed at the restaurant. Food Network films at two Queens eateries BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” drove into the borough to fi lm an episode at Astoria’s Queens Comfort. The Food Network show, hosted by colorful television personality, cookbook author and restauranteur Guy Fieri, follows him as he visits “classic ‘greasy spoon’ spots” around North America. Queens Comfort owner Donnie D’Alessio, already a fan of the program, was “honored” when “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” contacted him a couple of months ago for an initial interview. “For us to pop up in their research, it was so rewarding,” said D’Alessio. “A lot of the food they showcase is very unique and it’s something that we pride ourselves on here,” he said about the restaurant at 40-09 30th Avenue. After making the cut, the show came to shoot at Queens Comfort for two days the second week of December. Though the fi lming took a lot of work, including shutting down the restaurant, preparing eight dishes, and remaking some of the food several times over, it was well worth it, said D’Alessio. “I got along with him really well. He was fun to hang out with,” he said about meeting Fieri. D’Alessio does not know when the episode featuring Queens Comfort will air yet, but no matter what exposure it may lead to, the experience is what was the most important. “It all felt like a dream. I felt like Dorothy for two days,” he said. Queens Comfort isn’t the only eatery in the borough where “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” made a stop recently. The show also fi lmed at Bun-Ker Vietnamese, located at 46-63 Metropolitan Avenue in Ridgewood, according to the restaurant.
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