VFW serves hamburgers your way

Every Monday night, area residents can have a hamburger their way, and support veterans at the same time. The Fallbrook Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1924 offers a hamburger dinner from 5-6:30 p.m. for a $6 donation. If you want two patties, it's $7.

I have had their barbequed hamburgers at the VFW stand during the Summer Nite events downtown and at last year's Fall Festival of Gems on Alvarado Street. They are always delicious, but the hamburger I had this Monday night, Feb. 10, outdid those earlier ones.

The good-size hamburger patties are flame grilled in the post kitchen, by Post Commander Chris Ingraham, and the buns are toasted by his girlfriend, Marti Sonniksen, who also dishes out cups of ranch beans and bags of potato chips to go with the burgers.

Orders are taken in the bar which is where the fresh toppings are – lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, raw onions and grilled onions, along with ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. So, you can make it your way. They cook the patties with cheese on top, but you can order them without cheese as the patties are not cooked until the orders are in.

When Monday Night Football is on television in the bar, the post feeds 60 to 65 people on Hamburger Night. Now that football season is over, that number is down to 35-40, said Ingraham. Once the weather warms up, the ranch beans will. be replaced by potato salad or macaroni salad, he said.

I try to stay away from beef, but this hamburger is worth eating, (especially with the grilled onions), and the proceeds of all meals sold at the VFW fund the post's programs that benefit local veterans.

Besides Hamburger Night, the post offers dinner Friday nights with a different dish each time, 6-7:30 p.m. The special Valentine's Day Surf & Turf Dinner sold out by Feb. 9. The Feb. 21 dinner will be Steak Night for a $15 donation; Feb. 28 offers Mexican Mojarra Dinner (tilapia) for a $12 donation. Reservations are not necessary for the non-holiday meals.

An all you can eat breakfast is offered the third Sunday of each month. According to Ingraham, the Feb. 16 breakfast, available 8:30-11 a.m., includes pancakes, French toast, waffles, an omelet bar, scrambled eggs, diced potatoes, bacon, sausage, ham, a fruit bar, orange juice, coffee and milk. All for a $12 donation.

VFW Post 1924 is at 1175 Old Stage Road. More information can be found at http://www.fallbrookvfw.org and (760) 728-8784.