Kansas City Food Blog

It's girly, but the portions are man-sized at Shabby Hattie's Tea Room in Parkville

​Professional seamstress and former cocktail waitress Marcia Cherrito (the niece of local entertainer Frank Cherrito) had a dream: She wanted to open her own little tea room that served baked goods, breakfast, lunches and tea.

Last week Cherrito threw open the doors to her turquoise-and-teal tea room on downtown Parkville's main drag (113 N. Main). Shabby Hattie's Tea Room and Boutique (named for Cherrito's paternal grandmother) serves breakfast from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.

​Located across the street from Cafe des Amis French Restaurant, Shabby Hattie's serves salads and sandwiches -- including an excellent house-made chicken salad, a changing array of soups and pastries and a featured quiche every day -- in a dining room where each of the tables is cloaked with a 1940s-era vintage tablecloth and the china dates back to the 1920s. Side orders include excellent old-fashioned ham and pea salad or a dilly pasta salad.

I stopped in for lunch yesterday and was impressed by the superb quiche and a first-rate grilled cheese sandwich on hearty wheatberry bread. Cheritto bakes her own scones, muffins and cinnamon rolls each day. For more information on the menu and hours, call 816-587-1044.