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

Jer-ne: The Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey

It was my mother's birthday on Sunday so I took the family out for Jer-ne's Sunday Champagne Brunch. We got to the hotel/restaurant early so I started snapping photos of family as well as the decor of The Ritz and Jer-ne. I snapped two test-shots (checking exposure settings) of Jer-ne before the manager came over to introduce herself. Apparently she needed to get me permission from PR to take photos of Jer-ne. She even asked me if I was here with anybody. I'm like...dude. It's my mother's birthday. She then assured me that pictures of people are fine.

Brunch started promptly at 11am and every station was ready to go. My legs gave out when I walked past the dessert station, but I pressed on and moved towards the seafood. Selections at Jer-ne are pretty impressive.
Featured seafood included:
1) a really good smoked salmon, shrimp, crab claws
2) this delectable flaky pastry of salmon/spinach/?/dried apricots
3) awesome seared ahi-tuna (w/ a seaweed salad tossed with sesame seeds n oil) that would make any restaurant proud
4) shrimp ceviche comparable to what I had at Bluefin.
5) well seasoned trout
6) slices of (poached?) salmon topped with two different types of caviar. Looks pretty, but I've never liked caviar.
I forgot to mention a few, but you get the idea. Every item was well prepared. My mother and I both especially enjoyed the light pastry, where flavors were very well balanced. My brother, who always makes it a point to order seared ahi tuna if a restaurant offers it, went a little loco with the ahi tuna. He gave it a thumbs-up. I was pleasantly surprised by the crab claws, which were flavorful and didn't have that mushy texture like the ones found in Vegas buffets.

If you're wondering why this post has no pictures, it's because the manager never did go talk to PR and politely asked me to stop taking pictures two times. A grandpa with a D200 near my table was in a similar bind as well. Surprisingly, the manager didn't even react to the Asian touristy looking man with a point and shoot snapping shots left and right. Seriously, what gives? This feels like Disneyland all over again where I made a real scene with security guards concerning photography. Yeah you Facebook friends remember that story. ;) Anyway, prepare yourself for a long picture-less post if you decide to press on...*

I skipped the omelet and eggs benedict stations in favor of more interesting fare. My brother did get the omelet, however, and said it was "alright". It looked good, but we make some pretty crazy omelets at home. What? Like its hard? My only complaint would be the lack of ingredients available at the omelet station, though the basic items are all covered. Las Brisas in Laguna Beach (family favorite before it sold out) tops Jer-ne in this regard.

Sushi is available next to the omelet station, but it was really nothing to write home about. Featured rolls were the usual California, spicy tuna, and some shrimp rolls. I was able to see the "itamae's" stores of ingredients and I was pretty impressed. Nothing but fresh sushi-grade fish and shrimp. I didn't expect them to serve sketchy fish like at Todai and other seafood buffets, but it's always nice to check.

Pastries, hot breakfast items, omelet/waffle/sushi stations.

Every item was great until now, but biggest disappointment was the waffles. I don't understand how Jer-ne could screw this up. The batter was just too thick and the resulting waffle ends up like a gridded pancake. I saw several plates of unfinished waffles as I made my rounds. They tasted perfectly fine, but it was just the texture that was off. A pat of butter, mixed berries, whipped cream, and The Ritz's packaged maple syrup totally redeemed it though. I just pretended I was eating a stack of crispy pancakes. By the way, the maple syrup is top notch, so don't be shy to bring home a few bottles. I took three. It's that good!

Other hot breakfast foods included hearty thick-sliced maple bacon, sausage, and another kind of sausage(apple/pork?) tossed with 'taters and bell peppers. All three were amazing. It always brings a smile of wonder to my face when people are able to elevate simple/basic dishes to this caliber. I also had a big serving of biscuits and country sausage gravy. Holy crap that was good. The biscuits could have given Red Lobster a run for their money and the gravy was so thick and rich with bits of sausage floating around. I swear I could of eaten it like a chowder.

The coolest thing ever at this brunch was the caviar station, Jer-ne opens up three different cans of caviar: black sturgeon, salmon (yawn), and a golden caviar (whitefish?). Toasted bread and garnishes are available, of course. My mother's a big fan of fish roe, so naturally she was drawn to this station. I think I counted three visits. I only made one, and decided for the 100th time that caviar just isn't my thing.

Complementary champagne flowed freely throughout the course of brunch, but I also asked for coffee. Lemme tell ya, Jer-ne serves quite a good brew. I haven't had such good coffee in a long time. You can also order smoothies if ya want.

The dessert station offered passion fruit creme brulee, hot blue berry cobbler, chocolate and fruit tarts, various cakes, chocolates, mini eclairs, chocolate (dark and white) coated strawberries, god..the list goes on and on! I was already stuffed at this point and was unable to fully enjoy the desserts. Regardless, I powered through and was able to try most of them. My family gave me weird looks when I said that the creme brulee was too sweet. See, I'm the sugar lover in the family and usually what's fine for me is too sweet for the rest of them. Weird. So anyway, the tiramisu could use some improvement, while other items were very enjoyable even in my bloated, palate-fatigued state. Damn it! I still have yet to try out the cheeses...

Here's a picture of some of the smaller items I got:

Yeah. I really stuck it to The Man by taking this shot.

All in all, brunch at Jer-ne was pretty successful. There were still plenty of items I didn't get to try, including the hunk of juicy meat sitting at the carving station, potato gnocchi, bouillabaisse, a ton of dessert items, the various cheeses and breads, some seafood, etc. Though there were some shortcomings, the well prepared dishes totally made up for them. My favorite station at Jer-ne? Seafood. Hands down. Though maybe if I wasn't so stuffed by the end of the meal, I'd say Dessert. All the staff members were very professional and efficient. Finished plates were taken away and clean silverware placed without my noticing it. Champagne and coffee pot refills were also done without interrupting conversation. At one point, my mother stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth and asked me: "When did they refill my glass?" Beats me.

I only have two complaints for Jer-ne. First, the pastries (croissants, muffins, danishes, etc) were sub-par. Croissants weren't flaky enough, muffins were under-done, danishes were only so-so. Very disappointing. Second, what is up with that manager? I can understand policies against professional photography, but to shut down recreational photographers like me just doesn't make sense. Furthermore, that manager has one shitty attitude. She never did talk to PR, and when I confronted her (politely), she just brushed me off saying that she's really busy. Throughout the meal, she kept patrolling down the aisle next to my family's table without even giving me a nod or definitive answer about taking photos. The second time she politely told me to stop taking pictures was at my table. Whatever. My family had a good time, the food was great, champagne was plentiful, and the marina view was unbeatable. A run-in with management hardly puts a dent in such a perfect day.



*Sarah of The Delicious Life was able to snap some quick shots during her visit in '06. Check it out!


Jer-ne
4375 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 823-1700

The Cheesecake Factory

Went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory for a pal's birthday dinner at the suggestion of his girlfriend. Place was PACKED. Must mean the food's good right? Right?

Tonight I was reminded yet again how bad TCF is. Our party was quite large (15), and our server (bless her heart) managed the best she could. But, service was slow. TCF at Fashion Valley (as well as the Brea Mall & Irvine Spectrum for that matter) operates far beyond their optimum serving capacity. Every table around us waited a ridiculous amount of time for our food to be served and drinks to be refilled. Don't even get me started on the horrible food...

I can usually forgive slow service if the food ends up being good. After all, when with good company, time just flies. But, I cannot forgive TCF's joke of a menu. Aside from the fact that ad placement in the menus hinders my browsing more-so than web pop-ups, how can so many dishes be listed as specialties? Doesn't make sense to me. If you specialize in something, you usually lock down your craft to just a handful of well made, well presented, quality products. TCF's little marketing scheme pretty much encourages diners to order any of the overpriced crap that's on their menu. Wonder why their website's menu doesn't list prices? It's because if you checked it beforehand, you'd realize that this joint is such a ripoff. I ain't a cheapass. I don't mind paying a premium for good food, but you see...food from TCF isn't good. Friends sitting adjacent to me were very dissatisfied with their bland orders as well. These guys aren't exactly picky eaters either.

Really now...I can't believe TCF has the gall to list the Jambalaya both as a "diners' favorite dish" AND a TCF "specialty". I guess diners love the small pathetic $17 mess of greasy noodles and dry flavorless meat. I guess they also especially love the burnt tomatoes and shrimp. Give me the same ingredients and I can make a far better pasta. You could too. So could my dog.

Dessert was kind of amusing. For seven to eight dollars you can buy a small sliver of cheesecake as well as the pint of whipped cream lopped onto the plate in order to give the illusion of volume and value. Please. Consumers aren't that stupid.

Or are they? Why the hell would people wait in a long ass line to get a table at this atrocious restaurant? Guess they never came across Kirk's mmm-yoso, Cpt. Jack's reviews, Charlie's blog, Alice's blog, etc. etc.* to find an actual good place to eat. A real shame.

Overpriced. Over-rated. Poorly managed. Poor cooking. How is this chain still in business?

I realize this post is scathing and maybe not tasteful to some. But I'm not sorry. I never bag on a restaurant unless there are consistent screw-ups. Believe me, The Cheesecake Factory has screwed up plenty of times during my previous coerced visits. I hope none of my other friends choose this as a birthday dinner location...

Okay, I'm going to put on my flame retardant suit for the ensuing flame war to occur in this post's comments. Unless y'all agree with me.


*Don't feel left out if I didn't list you! The list of SD food bloggers is quite long.

Eclipse Chocolat. Again!

When Will notified me of his new cupcake creations, I just HAD to go and try 'em! Awesome guy that he is, Will actually treated me out to sample these delectable desserts. Thanks again, pal!

You can actually read about his cupcakes here and here. A total of four available flavors as of this date. Tune in to his blog for updates on upcoming cupcake flavors as well as desserts.

New cupcakes:

Balsamic Pink Peppercorn:

Dark chocolate-crème fraîche cake+raspberry balsamic filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+pink peppercorn topping.

Cut in half to reveal balsamic-raspberry filling.

At first I thought there would be some of the peppercorns in the dough, but Will says there aren't. They are only used as a decorative topping, though they do provide a delightful crunch along with their characteristic tongue-numbing sensation. How fun! Rest assured, the peppercorns are used sparingly and if you happen to not like 'em, just brush them off. It goes without saying that the chocolate cake was moist n rich with chocolately flavor. The chocolate ganache is great as usual, without being overly sweet. As for the filling, well...how can you go wrong with raspberries and chocolate? It's a great chocolate cupcake, though I suppose the filling could be slightly more tart for some contrast with the chocolate. All depends on personal preference, I guess.

Peanut Butter and Jelly:

Butter-crème fraîche cake+peanut butter filling+raspberry balsamic filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+ blackberry topping.

We all have fond childhood memories of PB n J sandwiches. If ya don't, then what kind of childhood did you have, you poor soul?! Anyway, the cake is A+ as usual, and the jelly is paired with the same superb peanut butter Will sells at EC (though for the cupcake, some water/sugar is added). Will's blog entry detailing this new flavor describes him using a dessicated blackberry topping, but he has actually decided to use fresh blackberries instead. The cupcake I had was with the dessicated blackberry, which has less volume, that funny space-food texture, but packs a good whollop of flavor. Fresh blackberries definitely is an improvement both in texture and aesthetics. I really enjoyed this flavor and I can see it becoming a hit once EC gets more exposure.


Just so I wouldn't get thirsty eating these cupcakes, I got one of EC's three drinking chocolates.

Rosemary Mint (70% dark):

Extra dark chocolate(70%)+mint+hint of rosemary.

Since I love dark chocolate, this was a natural choice. The other two available flavors are Chile Burnt Caramel (55% dark) and Orange Peel Vanilla Bean (33% white). While I haven't tried these (yet), I'd bet my paycheck that they taste fantastic as well. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first about having rosemary in my hot chocolate, but EC's description is perfectly in line with the taste--there was only a mere hint of rosemary. You'd have to really concentrate to be able to taste it. Regardless, this was probably the most interesting hot chocolate I've had. Who knew hot chocolate could be refreshing? Okay maybe some of you knew, but I didn't until today. Rosemary Mint was thick, rich, and creamy. Top it off with the two hunks of vanilla-bean marshmallows and you have yourself a nice drink to sip on while you curl up on the couch--yes EC has a couch--with a book (or with significant other?). Yeah I don't care if it's hot outside. After all, EC's got AC!


These cupcakes made their debut only a few days ago, and folks are already buying them by the box-full. One customer reportedly even made a repeat trip! Whatcha waitin' for? Go try 'em!


Will also gave me a small stack of coupons, so UCSD students, contact me for one so you have an excuse to try out Eclipse Chocolat!

Coupon1 - FREE Espresso, Tea, or Pastry with any dessert purchase.
Coupon2 - FREE Box of (4) Exotic Truffles ($10 value) with any chocolate purchase of $10+.

Hurry! coupons expire on 5/9/08.



Previous visits to Eclipse Chocolate:
The first time.
The second time.
The Blogger Mixer.


Eclipse Chocolat
2121 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, California 92104
619.578.2984