FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 15, 2018 • THANKSGIVING • THE QUEENS COURIER 65
dining out
Photo courtesy of Comfortland
Queens Comfort owners
open new doughnut shop
BY REBECCA PATTON
Astorians may have followed this year’s
Queens Comfort saga — the brunch fi xture
shut its doors in February of this
year, then reopened in Sugar Freak’s former
location just a few blocks down 30th
Avenue.
Th en, in early October, a bright, pastel
bakery called Comfortland emerged in
Queens Comfort’s old stomping ground.
And while the shop is aesthetically diff erent
from Queens Comfort, they’re both
owned by Donnie D’Alessio.
In fact, Comfortland is a family venture,
co-owned by D’Alessio; his sister,
Montana D’Alessio Barbieri; and their
father, Donald D’Alessio. And while
it’s rare for siblings to go into business
together (and for good reason), D’Alessio
Barbieri was enthusiastic about the partnership.
“We get along so well; we’re best
friends,” she said of D’Alessio. “He has
the biggest heart, and I’m not just saying
that because he’s my brother.”
But why the move? For one, Queens
Comfort was cramped in the old location,
according to D’Alessio.
“It’s crazy to think that we did what
we did in the space,” he said. “I give the
kitchen guys a lot of credit for being able
to do it for seven or eight years.” Not to
mention the fact that their lease was about
to run out; however, their landlord still
wanted them to stay. Th us, Comfortland
was born.
Comfortland’s name started as a joke,
according to D’Alessio. He just threw it
out during their brainstorming stage, and
it stuck.
Queens Comfort regulars will recall
the former location’s bright pink Donut
Diva window, where customers could
pick up mouthwatering, melt-in-yourmouth
doughnuts, among other baked
goods. Th ese pastries, which were baked
by D’Alessio Barbieri, quickly picked up
steam — so much so that her brother
decided to launch a bakery showcasing
them.
And her Comfortland doughnut menu
includes fl avors like peanut butter and
Nutella, pumpkin butterscotch (her personal
favorite), and peaches and cream.
Not to mention her famous rainbow
cookie crumb cake, which has three colorful
layers and a crumbly topping. Now
that’s comfort food.
Alongside D’Alessio Barbieri’s scrumptious
pastries, Comfortland also off ers
yeast doughnuts, which are baked by
Jackie Legge.
However, you can’t have doughnuts
without coff ee, which is why Comfortland
teamed up with Brian Donaldson’s company,
Native Coff ee Roasters, which is
located mere blocks away. “We’re blessed
that we get to work directly with the roaster,”
D’Alessio said, describing Donaldson
as “a self-taught expert.” Comfortland
also has an espresso machine, which the
co-owner is excited to experiment with.
D’Alessio’s favorite coff ee drink is the
malt cold brew, which tastes as good as
it sounds.
In addition to their pastries,
Comfortland also serves soup, biscuit
sandwiches (which are crazy good),
tater tots — you get the idea. D’Alessio
described it as counter service comfort
food.
It should come as no surprise given
their track record, but in just one month,
they’ve managed to establish Comfortland
as an essential neighborhood fi xture.
Comfortland
40-09 30th Ave., Astoria
@comfortlandny
comfortlandny@gmail.com
631-457-9815
link
