SOUTH PARK.  “There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” – Linda Grayson

So Eclipse Chocolate is clearly a true friend.   Eclipse Chocolate understands that chocolate should not be confined to desserts, demonstrated by a menu that weaves dark chocolate into appetizers, entrees, and drinks.  But wait, it gets better.

Each month, Eclipse Chocolate offers “Supper Club” – a themed multi-course tasting dinner.  The themes change, but each Supper Club dish features chocolate, vanilla bean, or caramel.  Yes, even the savory dishes.  (Especially the savory dishes!)  And Eclipse offers wine or beer pairings for each dish.

Supper Club usually lands on a Friday or Saturday night.  Multiple seating times are available.  Reservations are crucial.  To reserve space, call (619) 578-2984.  A full calendar of upcoming Supper Club Events can be found at:

http://eclipsechocolate.com/events/

I attended the New Years Resolution Supper Club.  I owe a special thanks to Katherine and Sean for finding out about it and passing along the news.  So let’s get started . . .

Drink:

I am an eavesdropper.  I eavesdrop.  It’s what I do.  Within minutes of arriving, I heard one of the servers talking about a Chocolate Chai tea.  Suspecting that chocolate tea in a restaurant specializing in chocolate was going to be pretty special, I ordered one.  I recommend it.  The tea has a rich, chocolate taste with a great blend of spices.

Starter:

First, we shared the Avocado Street Tacos.  The mini tacos arrived (obviously way cuter than regular tacos), and we picked up the hickory salted corn tortillas that encased panko crusted fried avocados, vanilla bean pickled cabbage, and black bean pico de gallo.  The tart pickled cabbage and spicy pico de gallo added powerful flavor to the smooth and creamy avocado interior.  In short, the tacos were a perfect starter.

Eclipse Chocolate First Course:

Next was the black bean soup, made from roasted veggies, caramelized onion, and black beans.  Served with fried tortilla chips, pickled red onion, vanilla bean salt, and chive, this soup could stand on its own as a meal.

Eclipse Chocolate Second Course:

Eclipse Chocolate offered two options for the second course: (1) Spicy Farro Poblano; and (2) the Crispy Quinoa Fritter.

Spicy Farro Poblano:

Farro, roasted veggies, and kale spilled out of a spicy, herb roasted poblano pepper.  Eclipse drizzled brute cocoa mole on top.  The mole was amazing.   In my opinion, chocolate should be drizzled liberally on every dish!  Did I use my fork to scrape every last bit of it off my plate? Absolutely.  So how did they make the dish even better?  By adding a side of fried plantains, mixed with jalapeno peach salsa.  A truly special entrée.

Crispy Quinoa Fritter:

Then there was the equally delicious Crispy Quinoa Fritter.  The quinoa, bell pepper, and mushroom fritter stood on a polenta cake, served with hickory salted avocado.  The fritter was crispy on the outside, and hot and soft on the inside.  The same cocoa mole sauce drizzled the fritter, complete with the side of fried plantains and jalapeno peach salsa.

Eclipse Chocolate Third Course:

Finally, it was time for dessert.  If you’re judging me for grand indulgence, that’s completely reasonable.  I was full, I admit it.  But I made room for the Almond Toffee Sundae.  At the base, there was a grilled olive oil almond cake.  Sweet and mild. Then marcona almond and cocoa nib praline created a salty ring around the almond cake.  Finally, raw almond and cashew milk gelato – with coffee kahlua caramel – crowned the cake.  Wow.  I wish I could spoon feed this dish to every person who thinks that vegan desserts are somehow lacking.

Conclusions:

I will be looking at Eclipse Chocolate’s upcoming Supper Club events with eager anticipation.  I can only hope that they will have another vegan friendly dinner in the near future.  I’ve also explored Eclipse’s regular menu and found that they regularly offer a variety of vegan-friendly options.  You can be sure I will be visiting again soon!  Expect a blog post about them in the future!

2145 Fern Street

San Diego, CA 92104

619.578.2984