Xmas, San Francisco, and Beyond

Well cocoa-babies... the holidays have come and gone and though it's my fifth season with Eclipse, I am time and time again surprised by the lingering excitement of it all! I believe it was sometime mid-month, while I was half-covered in couverture in the kitchen with chocolates comin' outta my ears, I said to myself: "This has GOT TO BE the last batch to truffles before the holiday". If only! My staff found me in the same scenario four more times before December 24th. No complaints here, though.... Ray, Dan, Autumn, August, Susan, Nicole, Jess, and I all had a lovely holiday season filled with lots and lots of excitement... thanks to you all!

So today is January 6th and I am finally catching my breath. But only just long enough to prepare for my national launch of the Eclipse brand! That's right kids, we're leaving on a jet plane in a week bound for SFO and the International Fancy Food Show! Hooray! And if you're reading this, you can rest assured that you got in on the ground floor, baby. Get ready with all those "I knew him when"s. And as exciting as our lives may become, we promise there will always be a place in our chocolate-covered hearts for you all. You always remember your first:)

But just in case international fame isn't knocking on my door before my retirement age, we're conducting business as usual. And I am sure you're wondering why I have yet to post pics from the last dinner or tell anyone what's comin' up next. Well, historically January is my month off from dinners and I have just enough time to pull out all the stops for the next dinner on February 13th and 14th! That's right, next up is our annual Valentine's Sweetheart Dinner. Take a look at the details... because there are many:

Exclusively Saturday February 13th (at 4, 6, & 8pm) and Sunday February 14th (at 11, 1, 4, 6, & 8pm join us for a romantic dinner for two with all the flair. For $95 per couple, our guests will enjoy Four Courses of Surf & Turf accompanied by a Live Violinist! What a deal, eh? All you need do it place your reservation, show up, and we will do the rest.

Menu includes (full vegetarian options available):

Salade Frisee with Roasted Beet Trio, Garlic Croutons, and Candied Cocoa Nibs

Charred Tomato Bisque with White Chocolate-Poached Lobster

Beef Wellington or Brie Wellington Baked En Croute with Cocoa-Mushroom Pate

served with

Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes and Cocoa-Balsamic Jus

and for the finale, a first ever exclusive (!), a tasting flight of

Four Limited Edition Truffles

each infused with an artisan cheese including:

Chevre, Camembert, Gjetost, & Gorganzola Dolce.

We will also be featuring an optional starter plate for $12 of:

 Artisan Cheeses and Dried Fruits with Violet Blossom Confit

or

Baked Parmesan and Crab Dip with Roasted Garlic Flatbreads

AND! Am optional tasting flight of three wines for $15 paired specifically with the dinner!

Now while your eyes are rolling to the back of your head and your open maw is dripping with salivation, now is the time to get yourself together and call us before its too late. Last year our Valentine's Sweetheart Dinner sold out a full two weeks in advance. Don't wait! Call us now at 619.578.2984 and reserve your table with a credit card. We will do the rest! 

And if you haven't heard of our dinners before... well get out from your cave and join the rest of the world! Here's what we enjoyed last time:

Starter: Sawmill Sausage-Peppercorn Gravy over Buttermilk Chive Biscuits.

First Course: Wilted Greens with Lavender Sea Salt and Candied Cocoa Nibs.

Entree: Fried Green Tomatoes or Coconut Fried Shrimp with Cocoa Butter Grits and Chile Burnt Caramel Peanut Sauce.

Dessert: Baked Cranberry Cobbler with White Chocolate Biscuit Topping and Whipping Creme Fraiche.

Southern Fried Christmas

Mmm... Just a quick jaunt around any mall these days reminds me that the holidays are already here! The smells of pumpkin lattes, roasted nuts, and peppermint candies are ripe around every corner and I, for one, am in full holidays cooking mode. And had you joined us for dinner at the cafe this past weekend, you would have been treated to a full holiday feast. Yes, friends... we celebrated T-day a full week and a half early this year and 95 of you joined us! If you missed all the tasty vittles, don't fret, you've got one more chance!

Join us Saturday, December 12th at 4.5, 6.5 or 8.5pm for an Xmas feast from the deep South. For just $30, you can enjoy 3 courses of seasonal faire two weeks before the big day. Make a reservation today and help us bring in the holiday with our Southern Fried Christmas dinner! Guests to enjoy:

Cheddar and Chive Biscuit Bites with Sawmill Sausage Gravy (optional starter)

Wilted Greens with Candied Cocoa Nibs

Fried Coconut Shrimp -or- Fried Green Tomatoes

with Cocoa Butter Grits, Coddled Egg, & Chile Burnt Caramel Peanut Sauce

White Chocolate Cranberry Cobbler with Vanilla Bean-Peppercorn Cream

Space is limited so RSVP today at 619.578.2984! Until then, check out the deliciousness from the last dinner:

Starter- Fried Bacon, Mac, & Cheese with Bacon Fat Drizzle

First Course- Roasted Veggies with Frisse & White Chocolate-Lemon Dressing

Entree- Rosemary & Lavender Sea Salt Crusted Cornish Game Hen with Cocoa Butter-Smashed Potatoes & Savory Bread Pudding with Cocoa-Brown Sugar Gravy.

Dessert- Ginger Pumpkin Cheesecake with Brownie Crumb Crust & Vanilla Bean Ginger Cream

Autumn Harvest Dinner

We finished up this last weekend with one of our biggest Three Course Prix Fixe dinners yet! If you missed it... well shame on you, as I don't repeat menu items. You'll just have to live with the chocolately shame.

This last one sold out pretty fast so we added a 2.5pm seating, but that's not typical for us. We're back to 4.5, 6.5, and 8.5 seatings this time around so don't hold off to make reservations. Here's what we're cookin':

Join us Saturday, November 14th to indulge in the three courses of a chocolate-Thanksgiving feast at our Autumn Harvest Prix Fixe Dinner: Menu includes:

Fried Mac & Cheese with Smoked Bacon (0ptional appetiser)

Salade Frisee with Roasted Root Veggies and White Chocolate-Balsamic Drizzle

Rosemary and Lavender Sea-salted Roasted Cornish Game Hen

or Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

both served with

Cocoa-Brown Sugar Gravy, Cocoa Butter Smashed Potatoes, & Savory Bread Pudding

Ginger-Pumpkin Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate Brownie Crumb Crust

To make an RSVP, call the cafe at 619.578.2984. Space is limited! Until then, get your mouth watery with the pics from this past weekend. Check it:

Appetizer- German Meatballs with Creamy Dill-Shallot Creme Fraiche.

First Course- Beer Cheese Soup with White Chocolate-Dill Mustard and Black Sea-salted Soft Pretzel

Entree- Smoked Gouda Bratwurst with Cocoa-nib Infused Sauerkraut & Toasted Pumpernickle

Dessert Course- Black Forrest Torte with Beer-Soaked Cherry Ganache Filling and Burnt Caramel Beer Reduction.

Second Anniversary Party!

It's officially fall in San Diego and while that doesn't mean a degree of cooler weather like the rest of the country enjoys, it does mean we're coming into the season of holiday treats and eats. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Xmas are very busy times around here, but before any of that can happen, we need to celebrate our Anniversary!

That's right, cocoa-babies! On October 28th we will be parting it up. Join us from 7pm-9pm on that Wednesday evening to indulge in all things Eclipse. If you've been into the cafe recently you will have noticed our new line of 8 exotic rocky roads we've coined Chocolat Rococo and we're ready to feature the lot. All evening we will be sampling all 8 flavors for you all to try.

But what's this Rococo I'm speaking of? If you were around this time two years ago, I created my first rocky road confection that was named Marshmallow Almond Rococo, which featured marcona almonds, cocoa nibs, and sea salt. It's been so popular that we've renamed it after our signature chocolate bar (Sea Salt Nib) and added 7 other flavors. Check 'em out:

Salty Dulce De Leche (31%)
Peppermint Almond (31%)
Toasted Coconut Toffee (38%)
Chile Burnt Caramel (38%)
Sea Salt Nib (55%)
Gingerbread Spice (55%)
Espresso Toffee (61%)
Citrus Honeycomb (72%)

Each is nearly a half pound of vanilla bean marshmallows, rich couveture chocolate, and a healthy slathering of exotic fixins'. For only $10 or 2 for $18.

Can it get any better? Yes! During our Anniversary Party, any guest will receive a free Rococo with any purchase of $50.

We're also extending our happy hour until 9pm, so all wine and beer purchases will come with a free truffle, as well! Cya then.

Chocolate & Beer Oktoberfest

Pictures are in from our dinner this past week, and WOW it was a good one. Obviously its my job to describe the eats at our dinners with such scintillating detail that you all can't wait to make a reservation for the next one... but I am making no over-exaggeration when I write that this was the tastiest menu yet. And at 17 dinners and counting... well that's saying a lot. If you missed it, you're outta luck; we don't repeat menus. But if you're brave enough to trust me on the next one, call us ASAP (619.578.2984) to reserve your space for October! This past dinner sold out a week before the event so don't wait.

What's for dinner? Check it:

Join us Saturday, Oktober 24th, at 4.5, 6.5 or 8.5 for three courses of savory chocolate deliciousness. And yes, I said Oktober! This time the theme is Chocolate & Beer Oktoberfest! For just $25, guests can enjoy:

Beer-Cheese Soup with Soft Pretzel & White Chocolate-Mustard Sauce

Gouda-Stuffed Bratwurst or Sweet Onion & Cheese Spatzel

both served with Baked Gouda, Cocoa Nib-Infused Sauerkraut, & Crusty Bread

Black Forrest-Dark Chocolate & Cherry Torte

Also enjoy our appetizer:

German Meatballs with Creamy Dill Sauce ($12)

and a first for us:

Three Course Beer Pairing (one beer with each course for an additional $15)

If all of this is too hard to comprehend, just take a look at the pics from our last dinner. Commence mouth-watering now:



Appetizer: Goat Cheese-Stuffed Figs Wrapped with Proscuitto

First Course: Ribollita Soup with White Chocolate Olive Oil Crostini

Entree: Rosemary-Crusted Roasted Lamb Chop or Gorganzola Aranici with Stuffed Tomato and Cocoa-Balsamic Sauce.

Dessert: Tiramisu with Burnt Caramel Espresso Sauce and Milk Chocolate Coffee Toffee

Rustic Tuscan Dinner

Listen up, cocoababies! Our next Three Course Prix Fixe Dinner is only three weeks away! Silly old me decided to take a few days off for my bday and I forgot to post the announcement before I left. Those of you who are in the cafe often have already reserved space from seeing flyers around... but the rest of you might be a little behind. Allow me to catch you up.

Exclusively Saturday, September 19th, with seatings at 4.5, 6.5, & 8.5pm we will be hosting three enticing courses from the Italian North! Our Rustic Tuscan Dinner is as follows:

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Roasted Figs Wrapped in Prosciutto (optional starter)

Ribollita Soup with White Chocolate Olive Oil Crostini

Roasted Baby Lamb Chop or Fried Gorganzola Risotto Cake

both served with Cocoa Balsamic Sauce and Parmesan-Stuffed Tomato

Espresso Bean Tiramisu with Milk Chocolate-Toffee Crunch

Seatings are $25 per guest (plus gratiuty and tax, of course) and we plan on selling out. As always, we are holding RSVPs with a valid credit card and have a 48hr cancelation policy. Don't wait to call us or you might lose out! 619.578.2984

Until then, here's the yum-yums from last dinner:

Starter: Spinach-Articoke Dip with Cocoa-Glazed Bacon and Garlic Flatbread

First: Caprese Brulee Salad with Cheroke Heirloom Tomatos and White Chocolate Balsamic Glaze

Entree: Ricotta-Mascarpon Ravioli with Chile-Burnt Caramel Hazelnut, Sage Brown Butter Sauce, and Lemon-Vanilla Bean Fennel Salad

Dessert: White Chocolate Summer Berry Bread Pudding with Cocoa-Nib Creme Anglaise

September Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Threeway

Our Threeway last week was such a sexy time, we decided to push our calendar up a bit and schedule another one in two weeks. Usually these events come every month, but we sold out for the last one and with our dance card filling up so quickly, we're spreadin' the love more frequently these days.

If you have yet to check our Threeways out, I'm sure you're wondering what the heck I'm blogging out. So check it:

Main Entry: three·way
Pronunciation: \ˈthrē-wā\
Function: noun
Definition: Threeway-A form of group se...

Opps, wrong dictionary. Let me grab the chocolate-covered one!

Threeway- A tasting event involving exploring three different gastronomic pleasures at the same seating.

Ahh! Much more appropriate, no? Well it's true, while our Threeway events make for a fun and possibily sexy evening, the focus is on enjoying and exporing nine different tastes (three artisan cheeses, three satisfying wines, and three exotic truffles). The tasting is complete with an open discussion of how our palates appreciate the process of taste and how one taste can effect and change the taste of another.

Our next event is September 16th from 7-8pm and we sell out at just 22 people! Call us for RSVPs at 619.578.2984. Cya then!