Signature Dish: Alobar

Welcome to the Q’Stoner food feature, Signature Dish! Once a week we check in with Queens restaurants and ask the owners about the all-time favorite dishes they serve. If you know of a dish you’d like to see featured here, please email emily@brownstoner.com.

The Spot: Alobar, 46-42 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City.

The Deal: A staple on bustling Vernon Boulevard, Alobar has been serving American cuisine to Long Island City residents since 2011. The dishes on the menu are prepared with local and seasonal produce when possible, and pair perfectly with one of the many cocktails on the menu. Owner Jeff Blath stocks Alobar with one of the largest whiskey selections in the neighborhood.

“Lots of restaurants do elevated comfort food. This is elevated food that happens to be comfortable,” says Jeff Blath, the restaurant’s owner.

The Dish: As an example of elevating and twisting comfort food, the (current) Signature Dish at Alobar is the Loaded Potato Gnocchi, with sour cream, chive, and bacon.

“This is a whimsical take on a loaded baked potato,” Blath says. “It’s all about technique, the gnocchi are cooked perfectly — nice and light.”

Suggested by Chef Greg Profeta, this twist on an old classic has made its way onto the regular menu as customer demand has kept it flying out of the kitchen.

In classic whiskey bar fashion, Blath recommends the Alobach cocktail to accompany this dish. The drink combines Four Roses Bourbon, Cointreau, Angostura & Peychaud’s bitters, and dry Champagne with an orange peel garnish.