Eclipse Chocolate

If I had to pick sweet or savory, 9 times out of 10 I'll pick savory. When dining out, I prefer an appetizer to prep my tastebuds for the entree to come rather than save room for dessert. However, at least once a month (guess when) there occurs an occasion in which if I do not get some chocolate on my tongue ASAP, I'm likely to fly into a homicidal rage. I know that this pains my sweet-tooth fiancee to no end, but to each his own. The chemistry of sugar, chocolate and sweets in general is a mysterious and somewhat unknown realm to me as I most of the time steer clear from it. The preciseness of baking irritates me, but whenever I come across artisan or homemade chocolates I'm likely to give it a whirl, and am often surprised at the subtle nature of the sweet.

Eclipse Chocolate opened last year on El Cajon Boulevard in North Park next to the newest Luigi's location, and any block which contains a great pizzeria and chocolatier is a solid block in my book. Since gourmet chocolate isn't a daily weakness of mine, last night was our first experience at the recommended shop. Even after 9 pm, the tiny location was bustling with yuppies on Macbooks and ladies in heels being "so naughty, I really shouldn't!" By this point in the evening, the cupcakes on display were looking a little worse for wear, but the display of truffles was presented appealingly and beautifully at the counter.



Once we picked one truffle, a few more followed, and the flavors from left to right are: vanilla bean & sassafras, lavender & sea salt, balsamic & pink peppercorn, and goat cheese & tarragon with fennel pollen. All were filled with a luscious chocolate ganache, and varied as much in quality as they did in flavor. These were only a quarter of the varieties offered, and the range of flavors was surprisingly vast and well thought out to appeal to an entire range of flavor enthusiasts. My runaway favorite was the lavender and sea salt, not just in flavor but in quality of the ganache melding with the chocolate shell. It was by far the thinnest truffle with the highest quality filling, with subtle flavors that still made themselves known throughout the bite. I can't say that the flavors married with each other and provided that same complex bite transition as well in any of the other three, but none of them were unpleasant by any means. The balsamic truffle was a close second, but I'd recommend it only if you are an adventurous dessert seeker!



Did I mention that my fiancee is a chocoholic? Let me re-emphasize this. Ashton is insane about chocolate on levels comparable to a hormonally imbalanced woman who just got dumped by her boyfriend and is watching a Lifetime movie while crying about her love handles. If you think that we were going to stop with a few truffles, you've got another thing coming. Beneath the truffle display were the Chocolate Roccos, chunky chocolate logs with a variety of fillings. Did I really sell you on those with that description?

He selected the Citrus Honeycomb, which comes with their homemade vanilla bean marshmallows with 72% dark chocolate rocky road, along with some honeycomb candy, bee pollen, & candied citrus peel. They were kind enough to slightly heat and slice it for us, and besides the end pieces, which proved to be a little tough and lacking in the filling department, it was a decent treat with a solid flavor base. I personally would have gone for the Chili Burnt Caramel with canilla bean marshmallow & 38% milk chocolate rocky road studded with burnt caramel toffee & cayenne candied pecan, but there's always next time.

I feel like I need to mention that we got a salted caramel and rosemary cashew yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting, but their lack of airtight display and the late hour did not prove favorable to the cupcakes. Avoid unless fresh.

Overall, I found it to be an innovative addition to the local scene, and while it might take a little more to impress me with the dessert department, I found the menu to be well thought out, and with a little work on storage to maintain freshness, a pleasant place to spend an evening.

Eclipse Chocolate
2121 El Cajon Boulevard
North Park, San Diego, 92104
619-578-2984