It’s possible you’re one of the locals plagued with fond memories of biscuits and gravy and thick-cut slices of greasy bacon from the restaurant space at the corner of Gillis and Pacific in Columbus Park, the late Happy Gillis. Surely, you grieved its demise. It’s also possible that when you heard the notable chefs behind The Town Co.—currently one of Kansas City’s top fine dining destinations—Johnny and Helen Jo Leach, were taking over the neighborhood corner spot, you paused at the idea of a “chef-driven neighborhood restaurant.”
If this is you, dear reader, the Leaches are quite aware of your hesitancy—and, ideally, your curiosity—about their new breakfast and lunch restaurant, Dear Donna. That’s why they treaded lightly, giving their juicy scoop to Northeast News first (No, I’m not salty. Why do you ask?) as a show of love to their new community and repeatedly reassuring the public, “We have every intention of keeping this restaurant a casual neighborhood spot.”
Nearly four months into their newest venture—with a menu that lists things like meatloaf sandwiches, french fries, granola parfaits and a wine list that simply reads “Red,” “Rose,” “White” and “Sparklin’”—it’s evident the Leaches, alongside business partner Sondy Bojanic, have delivered on that promise, though not without their refined sensibilities.
Before The Town Co., Johnny worked under David Chang at Momofuku in New York while Helen Jo served as pastry chef at the acclaimed Portland restaurant Le Pigeon. So while the menu at Dear Donna reads familiar and the new interior is relaxed and charming, that meatloaf melt is sandwiched between slices of Ibis Bakery pain de mie, the granola is tossed with lavender and cardamom, and the french fries are made from cured Kennebec potatoes and served with sour cream and onion dip. Besides the Heinz ketchup alongside those fries and the Ritz crackers circling the pimento kimchi dip (the Leaches aren’t above admitting that some things have already reached their final form), everything is made from scratch.
Surprisingly, the egg sandwich, while good, is not the best thing on the current menu, though the bread is fantastically soft, especially against the crisp layer of hash browns. Order whatever drink you will—a house drip from Broadway Roasting Co. or perhaps a Worcestershire-splashed Bloody Mary—but when it comes to the food, order the Dutch baby first…