BBQ stand benefits local troops and vets

Dining choices at the last Fallbrook Summer Nights event on Aug. 19 included pulled pork sandwiches, Maine lobster and personal size pizzas, but the delightful aroma of hamburgers and hot dogs cooking on a grill attracted just as many customers to the Veterans of Foreign War’s (VFW) food stand.

An appealing meal for families as well as for a group from the sheriff department's Volunteer Senior Patrol, Fallbrook VFW Post 1924 also offered cheeseburgers (“with American cheese of course,” said post commander Ken Etherton); meal plates included chips and bottled water for $8.

Service was so quick, I forgot to ask for a well-done patty, so mine was pinker inside than I like but, as my sister pointed out, a lot of people like medium rare meat so I’m not holding it against them. (She got a nicely charred patty on her bun.) On a more positive note, the toppings included onion, which I find always make hamburgers and sandwiches in general taste better.

Sergeant Armando Muniz, Jr., an active duty Marine, manned the BBQ that night, sprinkling the patties on the grill with steak and grilling seasoning. The volunteers have had plenty of practice since the VFW serves a hamburger dinner (with choice of chicken or beef burger) for $5 every Monday night at their post, 1175 Old Stage Rd.

Wednesday night dinners feature pasta or a salad bar which includes chicken or steak for $8, and Friday’s dinner offers a varied menu. The third Friday of each month features rib-eye steak with baked potato and cole slaw, while the last Friday of the month is all-you-can-eat tacos for $8. The dishes on the other Fridays vary from month to month, sometimes including St. Louis style pork ribs with cole slaw and corn bread for $11, or Sloppy Joes for $8. All prices are recommended donations.

All VFW dinners, from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m., are open to the public as an on-going fundraiser. Etherton said that the dinners are put on “100 percent by volunteers and 100 percent [money raised] goes to benefit local vets." Among the volunteers, kitchen manager Laura Torres coordinates the meals, which are cooked by different

volunteer chefs each night.

The volunteers also serve a third Sunday breakfast from 8:30 to 11 a.m. for $8 and a champagne brunch on the fifth Sunday of the month for $9, a delicious way to support local troops and veterans.

For more information about the VFW or the meals, call (760) 728-8784 or visit www.fallbrookvfw.org