Beginning yesterday and running every 3rd Saturday through September is Fallbrook’s Wine & “A Bite” Art Walk. Fallbrook is a short and easy drive from Temecula and its downtown is absolutely charming. There were five stops with art on display, food from local restaurants and Fallbrook Winery wines. 
First up was Brandon Gallery, where we saw magnificent work from local artists while we drank Fallbrook Merlot and ate Chicken Cilantro from La Caseta. What fascinated us was the “art by the inch”. Several area artists contributed to an enormous mural that is being sold in pieces for $1 an inch. Choose from different sized mattes, select the piece you want to buy and then come back for the “cutting” on June 27th. It’s an innovative method the gallery has created to raise funds.
Next stop was the Fallbrook School of the Arts, with a chance to see students at work. The sculpture studio next door was also open with artists on hand talking about their work. We were both astounded by the number of artists in Fallbrook and by how good their work is. We nibbled on shrimp ceviche and beef flautas from Rio Rico and drank Fallbrook Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon. Laura was so impressed she’s going to be signing up for classes.
We walked back down to the Village Square and enjoyed sushi from Pala Mesa Resort and pizza and cannoli from the Sweet Sicilian Bakery, the latter served in adorable little pizza boxes, paired with Sauvignon Blanc from Fallbrook Winery. Artist Jan Lee Lumkin demonstrated her oil painting techniques.
We crossed the street and walked down to the Pinnell Gallery. Artist Richard Stergultz was painting a portrait from a photograph. I overheard someone asking him who his subject was and he replied that he didn’t know. He just saw his face on the internet. One of the sous chefs from Pala Casino Resort & Spa was serving prime rib with lobster medallions, crab claws and shrimp, which was paired with Fallbrook’s Chardonnay.
Our final stop (thank goodness, we were getting stuffed from the “
bites” and we had dinner reservations) was at the Fallbrook Art Center. The 13th Annual Gourd and Fiber Fine Art Show was underway, and the work was magnificent. Several artists were on hand working on projects and answering questions from visitors. The Lace Apron served pulled pork sliders with mac ‘n cheese bites. With that we drank Fallbrook’s White Zinfandel.
It was an excellent event and we look forward to return visits throughout the summer. If you haven’t discovered Fallbrook yet, stop by. I think you’ll love it.