Tea and Silly Hats

San Diego is one of my favorite cities. Old Town is the historical district, where the first settlers to San Diego built a tiny town center with a stables, a pawn shop, a candle shop, and all the other amenities needed for life in the Old West. Near the original town is the Historical State park, and this is where a number of the original Victorian houses of San Diego have been relocated and renovated.

OK, it's tourist-ville. But it's one of the most charming tourist-ville's I've ever encountered. The houses are beautiful and well-kept, and at the entry to the park is a Community Center that was once the first Jewish Temple in San Diego. There are two bed-and-breakfast inns and a gift shop, and Mrs. Burton's Tea House. The house itself was built in 1893 by Henry Guild Burton, a retired Army physician. It now houses a tea-room and gift shop downstairs, a bridal and lingerie boutique upstairs.

Teas are served in a beautiful room at the back of the house, with additional tables on the veranda. The menu includes tea sandwiches in some unusual varieties: peanut and carrot, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese; in addition to the usual cucumber and cream cheese and chicken salad (their chicken salad is fabulous, by the way). Scones with clotted cream and raspberry curd, and a variety of tea cakes and cookies (of which the best were lime squares). There aren't choices of tea flavor, but it is refilled as many times as you want; we had raspberry creme...delicious!

The value is good, $18.00 per person. An unusual feature of Mrs. Burton's is that she offers children's teas in a special room full of toys, hats, feather boas and gloves. Little girls get a lesson in etiquette, drink tea, wear the accessories then go out and play croquet on the lawn. But food isn't served at the 'Mad Hatter's Tea' parties. Also offered are birthday, bridal shower, baby shower, and Children's Beanie baby teas.

Everyone wears a hat; the parlor outside the tea room are an exhibit of dozens of hats; modern vintage, enormous and small, big-brimmed and pillboxes. Sandra and Amanda and even Tom wore costume hats (Tom's was too small, not a surprise!), while I, as a consummate hat collector, wore my own. Photos are taken before the tea begins, included in the price.

Visit Mrs. Burton's tea room at: www.mrsburtonstearoom.com. To write to her: chappete@aol.com. The address is: Burton House, Heritage Park Old Town, 2465 Heritage Park Row, San Diego, Ca 92110. Telephone 619/294-4600.