Sunday, April 27, 2008

Eclipse Chocolat Blogger Mixer

Before I begin, I'd like to thank Will for hosting this event. The complimentary dessert platters and truffle samples were very enjoyable. I'm sure everyone had a smashin' good time!

Also...since I'm primarily a wildlife and landscape photographer, my technique for portraits aren't exactly great. So uh...sorry if you think your picture doesn't look nice. I really combed through my CF card to find the better ones! B+ for effort.

A lot of people were already settled in and chatting up a storm by the time I arrived:

Here we have Darleen, Koko, Kim, Marie, 75% of Paul, and Josh is hiding somewhere off on the right side. Sorry if you're not mentioned...I didn't have a chance to meet everyone.

Guests were waiting at the counter to place their dessert orders. It was a great place for getting to know each other, as we see Nicole and Amanda doing here. Looks like an interesting conversation doesn't it? Probably was. Amanda's quite a fun character!


Yes, I know social events are about People, but c'mon. This is a gathering of food bloggers posted on a food blog! Let's take another peak at what Eclipse Chocolat offers:

Intriguing flavors combined with high quality chocolate yields one helluva bar. There are often free samples at the counter so you can see for yourself what you've been missing out on.

Guests also had a chance to sample some truffles. Namely the Lavender Sea Salt (a signature item) and Cacao Azteca (lightly spiced). I'm scared to buy a box of EC truffles since I know I wouldn't be able to control myself. The box would be finished by the time I walk to my car!

Though a different Cheese Platter and Fondue Platter were available (not to mention new paninis), I opted for the Seasonal Dessert Platter, which seemed to be a popular choice today.

Looks like I have to come back for a re-shoot, as it is quite hard to shoot on a coffee table while itchin' to make rounds and meet all the guests. Sorry Will, I know you were expecting a better shot :P I could never pull off a fast picture setup. As for detailed descriptions of each item, I'll get back to that as soon as I get the names of everything on the plate. In the meantime, readers will have to settle with either "It was GREAT!" or "It was mmm-yoso(tm)!"*

Next to me on the couch was Elena from Sea Rocket Bistro. Stay tuned for the seafood bistro she's going to open! She's also an interior designer, so give her a buzz if you need some professional help. Oh and if you don't know him already, the guy on the left is our host Will.

I learned a lot from the conversation about chocolate.

After Will's chocolate lecture, I pulled up a chair to introduce myself to Tyler/Amanda, Nicole, and Alice.

Hi Alice! Hi back of Tyler & Amanda's heads. Nicole's hiding out on the far right.

These ladies and Tyler were a great bunch and it was fun getting to know each of them. I wish we could of spent more time together, as I am quite shy and take a gazillion years to warm up to new acquaintances. Damn this shyness of mine...
Regardless, I'm glad I finally had the chance to talk to all of you! Sure beats leaving comments on each other's blogs doesn't it?

Alright, here's Tyler and Amanda, so they don't feel left out:

You two are tight, yo!


Here's a shot as guests say their g'byes and prepare to leave:

Of the folks I met or know from their name tag, there's Liz, as well as Darleen, Marie, and Kim again. It was kind of nice to have another young'un present at the event. Hey Liz! Call me. ;D No I kid I kid. Asking a gal to call you is totally weaksauce. You'll never catch me pulling such a sissy move! Anyway, hopefully I'll have a chance to have a good chat with this crowd someday.

I also was able to meet Caron, Marcie?, and Angie. Didn't get a chance to really talk to the first two since they left about 15 minutes after I arrived, but Angie's really cool. Got a question about sustainable food? She's your go-to gal. I reckon she knows a good thing or two about poetry too!


Well, that was totally worth ditching Sunday Service! If I was actually religious, that is. Again, thank you Will & your staff for accommodating our large crowd. Heh, I guess we should thank Ben too since he helped out in the kitchen. You shoulda brought one of your cakes, Ben!

I don't know if blogger socials happen a lot since I am still relatively new to the scene, but I'd love to have another get-together again. Every person I've met today had so many stories and experiences to share. I'd love to get to know y'all better.



*Other guests have also covered this event and have included their impressions of the desserts:
Liz of Fooding411
Moowie.
Kim.
Nicole. (kick-ass pictures)


Other Eclipse Chocolat posts:
First Visit
Second.
Third.



Eclipse Chocolat
2121 El Cajon
San Diego, CA 92104
619.578.2984

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that was fast! It was cool to meet you, good luck with all the studying! :-)

Roger said...

Wow Nicole, you're fast too! I didn't expect anyone to pay me a visit so soon. I'm still proof-reading this entry!

Darlene said...

(checking my blog reader) Wha? That person looks like me... it is me... is that what my hair looks like?!??

Hey Will. Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to you. I'm painfully shy myself. Maybe at another food blogger event??

Anonymous said...

hahaha! I'm just obsessive about checking my blog stats (aren't we all?) and noticed some traffic coming from your blog. Just had to pop over and see what you were saying about me ;-)

Meandering Eats said...

Hey Roger! Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you. I was actually telling Liz that I wished I'd said hi, but didn't when you sat down at the table with me, Darlene, Paul, Kim, and Josh.

I'm in a couple of the pictures... the one in the green spotted shirt and white tank top.

We'll have to meet again! Thanks for the visit to my blog. :) I still couldn't believe you had BBQ duck twice a week... how's your cholesterol? ;)

Roger said...

Heh, Darlene, you look fine ;o.

Heey...I just put two and two together: Moowiesqrd = Moowie = Moo-wie = Marie!

Hey don't worry about not having an opportunity to say "howdy". I too felt kind of bad at first for not being able to meet everyone, but then I figured that we were all gonna meet up again soon enough anyway! Err, at least I hope so.

Throw me an IM if you guys ever want to check a place out. I'll do the same, though I'm usually kinda spontaneous. I'll try to give at least half a week's notice :P

Oh and as for the cholesterol from all that duck...heh. No comment! The damage is done.

Holy crap this is one long comment. I should just make another post.

KirkK said...

Hey Roger - Looked like a fun time! Maybe I'll be able to make the next event.

Kim in the Kitchen said...

Hi Roger- it was nice to meet you this weekend. You covered pretty much everything, so now I feel like I don't even need to post ;)

Charlie Fu said...

ditto what kirk said.

Anonymous said...

roger, you're great! i totally agree that there needs to be another meet-up. maybe this was the event we needed to get the ball rolling. the whole time i've been in san diego (2 1/2 years) there has never been another event.

Roger said...

Kirk n Charlie, I sure hope you guys do! There will be no "maybe" >:)

Kim! By all means put on a post about our little gathering. It's always fun to see things from different perspectives.

Yar, Amanda.

Maybe we can set up a mailing list or something to notify everyone if we want more company. Lord knows I'm bored of eating out alone. And yes guys, I do have friends, but they enjoy papa johns and carl's jr. more than anything else.

Owner, Eclipse Chocolat said...

ROGER! You and your site are quite the Food-Blogger hub. Nice post with everyone's names and blogs listed. Forgiveable photography, of course given the time constraints, and Im sure I'll see you in again soon for more cupcakes and platter pics.

Your blog's a great asset to SD Foodies!

This event was so much fun! Im just sad I didn't get to chat to each person here. Was a busy day, for sure. I'd love to do another one in two months when I have yet another dessert platter debut!

RecipeGirl said...

Those truffle choices look amazing. This is definitely a must-see place in San Diego!

Roger said...

Lori, hey there! Thanks for dropping by. Yeah the truffle choices are pretty overwhelming. I just want to eat all of them!

Little Miss Contrary said...

Eclipse looks yummy--all the chocolates look to-die-for!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I want to be part of the San Diego blogger group,...I'm envious. :) How fun!