A meeting of great tastes at Eclipse Chocolat

There’s something that happens when good food and people who are passionate about blogging about food meet. I think it’s called synergy. Yes, a hokey word even for a snarky person like me but that’s what happened last Sunday at Eclipse Chocolat on El Cajon Blvd.

Just minutes before I was to leave for the event, I had an inclination to ditch the gathering. Who were some of these other food bloggers? I only knew a few local food bloggers and a quick look at other people’s blogs that were attending piqued my interest. We all had different levels of “foodie experience.” Whether it be mostly cooking, trying new restaurants or a combination of the two, we all had a deep interest in food. And we were all located in San Diego.

Eclipse Chocolat is easy to overlook driving along El Cajon Blvd. Nestled somewhere between the ultra-swanky Red Fox Room and a nondescript liquor store is a haven of chocolate goodness.

Will Gustwiller, the owner and head chocolatier is the man behind this gathering. From the get go, he offered the dozen or so food bloggers tastes of unique truffle combinations and extravagant tasting platters. Combined with meeting other bloggers, it was a bit overwhelming. Or maybe it was the sugar hitting my blood stream.

Among the three or so tasting platters offered to us was a seasonal dessert tasting platter.

This platter was a strong representation of various desserts available at Eclipse ranging from the frozen chocolate mousse which I first thought was a sorbet or gelato to the grilled carrot gateau. My favorite was the bread pudding studded with dark chocolate pieces. The portions were perfect and fit in with my “must-try-a-little-of-everything” attitude. Will is a man after my own heart.

Along with the good food was sharing stories with other bloggers. Everything from whether you allow your identity to be available on your blog (notice the black bars on my photos) to good burger places around San Diego. We all had our opinions but the common thread among us was our enjoyment of food and the desire to share it on the internet.

Bloggers who showed up at the event were (in no particular order): Katherine from Koko’s Kitchen, Kim from Foolin’ Around the Kitchen, Marie from Adventures of an Amateur Foodie, Liz from Fooding 411, Roger from The Fifth Deadly Sin, Amanda and Tyler from What We’re Eating, Alice from Alice Q. Foodie, and Nicole from Pinch My Salt. I know I am missing a few people.

Will was the perfect host. He offered parting gifts. Since we were already stuffed with food, we all left with a sample of his caramel chocolate ganache truffle topped with lavender-scented sea salt.

This is not the end of the story.

I saved that truffle for work the next day and it proved to be my downfall. I savored that truffle in the privacy of my workspace: the sea salt highlighting the richness of the chocolate. It was just perfect. Unfortunately, I had spied a cupcake during the event with that same flavor combination. Needless to say, I had to visit Eclipse to obtain one. That was my curse.

Two trips later and I still had no sea-salted cupcakes. On the second trip, instead of leaving empty-handed, I left with the balsamic pink peppercorn and burnt-caramel marshmallow version. Not necessarily what I’ve been longing for but a good replacement none the less. But Will has made a junkie out of me and now I have several food blogs to add to my blog reader.