The eclectic and excellent tastes of Fallbrook; La Caseta chosen 'Best Taste of Fallbrook' Da Georgio's wins 'Food Critic's Own

Guests couldn’t help but be hungry when they arrived at the Taste of Fallbrook event on Friday, July 25. The annual event is a part of the Hot Summer Nites, sponsored by Connections Networking of Fallbrook. The tantalizing scents from the 11 local restaurants that participated were tempting to passersby. Local restaurants outdid themselves this year and offered their best or most unique foods for sampling. I am sure that no one went away hungry. The lines were long but moved quickly; and it was estimated that more than 700 tickets had been sold.

Kids climbed Moore’s Mountain as adults crowded into Village Square to listen to the rockin’ sound of Aunt Kizzy’z Boyz. The upper blocks of Main Avenue were alive with various classic and sports cars as the Fallbrook Vintage Car Club and others displayed their gleaming and polished vehicles.

Connections did things a little differently this year and asked food critic Chris Williams, who is with 5 Star Insider, to serve as a lone judge. He chose Chef Jorge Alcaraz of Da Georgio’s Restaurant for his “Food Critic’s Own” award.

The people’s choice for “Best Taste of Fallbrook” went to Delos Eyer of La Caseta Mexican Restaurant. Trupiano’s Italian Bistro placed second and Rio Rico of Bonsall took third.

The following Fallbrook and Bonsall establishments served food at the event.

Sourdough Pizza

Their “Sourdough Sweet Cinnamon Sensation” was a delicious sweet dessert pizza layered with cinnamon and topped with a sugar glaze.

La Caseta

Delos Eyer’s “Shrimp Diablo” was served over a light and flavorful rice dish. The large shrimp were prepared with various exotic spices and was an outstanding entry.

The “Orange Carmel Flan” was also excellent. Both the orange and caramel tastes were evident, but balanced. Luscious whipped cream topped the dessert. It was one of the best flan dishes I have tasted.

Peking Wok

This Bonsall restaurant’s table was overflowing with food – fortune cookies, three kinds of chicken and wontons.

“Sweet and Sour Chicken” was a good blend of both the sweet and sour; the “Orange Chicken” was also good, but my favorite out of the three was “Peter’s Chicken,” which was spicy and tasted of some kind of pepper.

The “Cheese Wontons” were excellent – filled with a sweet crème cheese that had a hint of orange flavor.

J.J. “Purty” Lander’s Irish Pub

The pub offered a tasty “Chicken Tortilla Soup” brimming with delicate slices of chicken along with corn in a blend of spices.

Sugar Mama’s Sweets

This new establishment is located at the Lace Apron but has limited hours. They served great Panini sandwiches filled with melted mozzarella cheese, tomato and prosciutto.

Trupiano’s Italian Bistro

This establishment served soft homemade crepes filled with a delicious blend of marinated skirt steak, peas, carrots, mushrooms, ricotta cheese and spinach, which was oven-baked, then finished with a wonderful parmesan beef reduction sauce.

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

This establishment is open to the public and serves food on selected days. For this event they offered a tasty ravioli dish slathered in a crème sauce.

Aqua Terra Restaurant at Pala Mesa Resort

A well-presented salad dish was topped with fresh seared rare ahi tuna dusted with wasabi. The Asian vegetable salad was crisp with cilantro, carrots, cabbage slices and red onions. Soba noodles and a sweet chili glaze finished this marvelous dish.

Di Giorgio’s

The Highway 395 restaurant served two excellent pasta dishes with long Italian names. One was a type of penne pasta with a hint of seafood drenched in a creamy sauce. The other was a rainbow rotini concoction dotted with mushrooms and tomatoes in a savory tomato sauce. They also served their wonderfully soft homemade breadsticks.

Courtyard Café and Tea Room

The chef at this Jackson Square café outdid herself with dainty toasted brie and ham sandwiches with jam. The homemade cheesecake was made with a base of graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake and a dab of what tasted like cherry pie filling on the top.

Rio Rico

This Bonsall restaurant, which is now under new ownership, served a scrumptious dish made with an ancient Mayan recipe. The tortillas were handmade and the meat served with them was a spicy shredded pork dish cooked in banana leaves. The leaves gave the pork an exotic flavor.

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