BALBOA PERK, Coffee & Tea — Restaurant in San Diego

DO NOT GO TO THIS ESTABLISHMENT!

I am a member of a dating site, that's how Milan contacted me initially. We messaged briefly and he suggested that I hop on a train and come down to San Diego for dinner, I live in Orange County. I sent him my name, birthdate and email address, he sent me the receipt and attached boarding pass.

Earlier in the day, prior to him purchasing the ticket, I Googled his phone number. Everything was verifiable, I learned he owned this coffee shop, I even learned of his address. Everything checked out and I felt comfortable to get on a train and meet him, as agreed, at the train station.

I was excited and proceeded to head on down to San Diego via Amtrak.

At about Oceanside, is where I get the text; " Hey Leanna, think we can do this another day? I have to work at 7:00am"

I'm thinking ....'WHAT??" During our previous messaging, he assured me that everything was fine, meaning, time..and so forth.

Two important things to note.. He had no idea that I knew he had a coffee business or any info on him. He was informed that I am completely broke because I just closed my business and it killed me financially.

Upon recieving his surprise text, you know, the one where he wants to reschedule for tomorrow, I start calling his number. My heart starts beating faster, getting worried, but, I'm not one to freak out easily. I'm sure he will be picking me up from the station...Right?

WRONG!!! NO CALL, NO COMUNICATION!!

Okay, if that wasn't bad enough, get this...

As the conductor comes to scan my ticket/phone, he tells me that "the ticket was refunded at 12:30pm this afternoon". This basically means, as soon as he bought the ticket, he asked for a refund. Thank the Lord that the conductor Dave, was a really nice guy and said it was okay. In all reality, he could have made me get off at the next stop.

After explaining my situation to Dave, the conductor, he was sweet enough to assure me a complimentary ride back AT 5:55 AM! Yes, the next morning.

Time to wrap this up now. The moral of the story.... Don't just hop on a train for a date with a guy you've never met, definitely DONT GO TO BALBOA PERK COFFEE and lastly.... There are still good people out there willing to help someone in need.

In case you were wondering. After the train station closed, my instincts led me to this nice bar/hotel. There just happened to be a LAW ENFORCEMENT FORENSICS CONFERENCE! A couple of the officers bought me two drinks and we talked till around 3:00am, then I sat in the lobby till 5:30am and now, I'm on my way back home...

Question: Standard vs Barista’s preference?

This is always a roll of the dice, perhaps more for the devil may care. However, when one rates cappuccino’s, a degree of consistency is certainly preferred.

Today I find myself in the lovely neighborhood of Hillcrest San Diego at Balboa Perk coffee. I crossed the street from Dark Horse coffee based on the pictures posted. Regrettably, the pictures did not match reality. Balboa perk is a bit micro-mart with a single pull.

My cappuccino was only available to go. Okay, I can flow with that as this is also about the craft & taste. To guess, I’d say my cappuccino was 4 parts foamed milk to one part espresso. The “craft” was a dash of mocha powder on top. One can only assume this is how the barista enjoys his morning joe. I must say, if that is the case the impertinence was deafening. Perhaps he is the coffee equivalent of Seinfeld Soup Nazi, without the throngs of people hockey checking one another for a spot in line.

Balboa Perk is certainly neighborhood without the welcoming friendliness one might expect. As for a coffee, you may want to check out all the fabulousness Hillcrest has to...

Having recently moved to San Diego and being Serbian, I was looking for places in the area to make me feel closer to home. The inside of the cafe is much like a small international store stocked with many popular brands from former Yugoslavia. There are nice cultural touches of Eastern Orthodox iconography scattered throughout, lending an almost homely feel.

I would recommend the Serbian coffee if you are up for it (likely not the type of coffee you’ve had up to this point in your life) and grabbing a pastry. Pair it with a Radenska or Knjaz Milos sparkling water and you will be living a surrogate South Slavic life for...