A local taste of avocado-inspired eats

Whether you're a local or from out-of-town, the 2019 Avocado Festival is a time to taste test all the avocado-themed foods coming to Fallbrook Sunday, April 14. While vendors have spent all year perfecting their guacamole and avocado-infused goods, local restaurants are stepping up with their own avocado-inspired dishes. Some of which, people can experience all year around. Here's a fresh look on where to find them:

Avocado Toast at Brooktown Kitchen & Coffee

Perhaps most well-known for its hearty and savory breakfast and lunch sandwiches, Brooktown Kitchen & Coffee, 139 S. Main Ave., always has what diners need. And sometimes what they need is a simple coffee paired with avocado toast. But where else, aside from perhaps their own kitchen, can someone get five different flavors of California's go-to breakfast favorite? Patrons can start basic with Brooktown's "Nice Hass" avocado toast, which comes with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper for $5. Or take it up a notch, with the "Row your Goat," smeared with goat cheese and bacon for $8. Or, if a breakfast hunter is really hungry and wants more luxurious avocado toast, taste the "Hokey Poke," which for $10 is layered with diced ahi tuna, mango salsa, cilantro, sesame seeds and sriracha aioli drizzle.

Brooktown Chef Rob Leftkowitz said almost everything on the menu comes with avocado.

"I love avocados," Leftkowitz said. "We are after all in the avocado capital of the world."

1/2 Avocado Special at The Yogurt Palace

The Yogurt Palace, 130 S. Main Ave., offers one of the best lunch deals in town. Patrons have the option of a chicken or tuna salad sandwich, or they can go for the 1/2 Avocado Special. For $8, customers get a half-slice of avocado stuffed with a generous helping of chicken or tuna salad and topped with sprouts. The meal also comes with a bag of chips and a junior-sized frozen yogurt. Folks around town have said how crunchy, juicy and flavorful the protein-rich salads are and of course, they are made fresh daily. Chili is served seasonally. The Yogurt Palace is a local favorite, proven by the hundreds of photos of local patrons posted on its inside walls. Plus, the ladies working behind the counter are always friendly and smiling.

Fried Avocado Street Tacos at Small Town Kitchen

Small Town Kitchen will be opening its doors at 118 N. Main Ave. for a limited take-out menu during the Avocado Festival. The fine-dining trained chefs, Fallbrook native Carlo Guardado and Belgium-born Jan van Meerveld, plan to have several avocado-themed dishes for the big occasion. With a focus on local farm fresh ingredients, the chefs are making mouth-watering Fried Avocado Street Tacos, topped with smoked chile mayo, cilantro, cabbage and lime. They will also feature their vegan Avocado Escabeche Tostada, which comes with coriander refried beans, radish and chile oil. Unique beverages will include avocado and lemon agua frescas. Be sure to stop by the restaurant to try other delectable creations by the two talented chefs.

Avocado Gelato at Tutto Dolce

Tutto Dolce makes its own avocado gelato. Located on 110 S.Main Ave., Tutto Dolce – A Sweet Taste of Italy sells gelato, chocolate and candies. Gelato is handmade fresh by Italian chef and store owner Fabio Peraro. The 81-year-old claimed to have first introduced gelato to the United States in San Francisco in 1982. He has since been serving his famed gelato all throughout Southern California until he opened a shop on the corner of downtown Fallbrook.

Peraro was born and raised in the aristocratic city of Padua, Italy. Peraro said nobody is making gelato the way it's supposed to be made – the Italian way. His gelato consists of four simple ingredients, he said, but the delicious taste comes from the work he puts into it.

"When you make it, you have to make it good," Peraro said, his Italian accent in full effect. Stop by for some bright green avocado gelato, made fresh daily by the finest gelato chef around.