Many thanks to Will of Eclipse Chocolat for organizing a lovely gathering of San Diego food bloggers. Eclipse Chocolat is located near the corner of Alabama St. and El Cajon Blvd. and I have yet to drop by. I've been meaning to for a while, esp. since Bear's twice-daily walks usually end up near Alabama. This was a perfect opportunity to sample some of their products and meet fellow food bloggers.
Kim and I walked a few blocks to Eclipse, after which I was soaked in sweat because it was a really warm day. Geez, talk about a first impression. Hehe. Anyway, it was great to meet so many bloggers in person. I wish I had more time to chat with everyone.
Will generously offered samples of various chocolates, including an intriguing blackberry sage rendition. Kim and I both had the seasonal dessert tasting platter, which had four items:
- Frozen chocolate-mixed berry merlot mousse
- Grilled white chocolate carrot gateau (check out Will's "first draft" of this awesome cake)
- Dark chocolate croissant bread pudding with creme anglaise sauce
- White chocolate-chamomile lemon bar
The lemon bar was good, with a slab of white chocolate on top. I couldn't really taste the chamomile, which was actually a good thing, since I don't particularly like it. The bar was actually more like a cake, which was good, but a little dry.
The bread pudding was Kim's favorite and it was very good. I liked the creme anglaise sauce best. It's rich and chocolaty, perfectly complimented by the dense vanilla cream sauce.
I was looking forward to the carrot cake the most and it didn't disappoint. Warm and nutty, it was very light and did not need any garnishes. On the other hand, I wasn't a huge fan of the chocolate/berry/merlot mousse. The glaze (chocolate, berries, merlot) was good, but really strong, and the chocolate mousse was a tad bland.
Other recaps of the mixer:Roger from The Fifth Deadly Sin
Kim from Foolin' Around in the Kitchen
Liz from Fooding 411
Darlene from My Burning Kitchen
Alice from Alice Q. Foodie
Nicole from Pinch My Salt
Thanks again, Will!
4 bites:
Heya mooie! Glad to see a post about your impressions about the dessert platter. Yar, I love comparing notes and seeing what other people think.
Nice close-up shots of individual items. I think I'll do that too from now on.
toodle-loo!
That grilled carrot cake looks amazing! I'll be checking out this place for sure :)
Marie, I'm sad I missed the event but glad you all had a great time. Grilled carrot cake? Yum!!!
Oh that lemon bar... looks amazing!