I’d never eaten a casserole before moving to KC. This restaurant made me love them

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Confession: Until I moved to Kansas City, I had never eaten a casserole.

My first girlfriend, a born-and-raised Midwesterner, used to tease me about this. I remember their horror when I asked if a lasagna belonged in this sacred category. When I arrived in Kansas City from Connecticut, I still didn’t quite know the definition: Does it have to be scoopable? Sliceable? Does a noodle kugel count as a casserole? How about a pan of brownies?

Now, I get it: A casserole defies definition. It’s less about the recipe and more about the comfort you get from eating one. At its essence, a casserole is a state of mind.

I learned the true meaning of casserole at You Say Tomato, an eclectic brunch spot and corner store located at 2801 Holmes St. in the Longfellow neighborhood of midtown.

The warm, colorful space is filled with mismatched tables and chairs, wrought iron artwork and plants, including what may be the largest indoor fiddle-leaf fig tree in all of Kansas City. Pantry goods line one wall on wooden shelves from when the space was a corner grocery store decades ago.

You Say Tomato feels like you’re hanging out in a friend’s bustling kitchen: unpretentious, with little visual delights like vintage lamps, painted rocks and dangling evil-eye charms. I felt even cozier with the giant mugs of Mexican hot chocolate and the two casseroles I ordered during my recent visit.

At around $15 each, or $9 for a triangular half-portion, one order is plenty for one person — but I couldn’t resist ordering both for the sake of journalism.

The first, a savory breakfast casserole, is a hearty medley of cubed bread, sauteed mushrooms, cheese and egg custard baked and smothered with mushroom or sausage gravy (or both).

The other, a sweet French toast casserole, combines the same bread and custard with sugar, cinnamon and orange zest, served with candied pecans and real maple syrup — not the fake stuff.

“The (savory) casserole started out as a way to use up leftovers, but then it became so popular that we had to start making the leftovers just to make the casserole,” said co-owner Anne Clark, who runs the restaurant with her husband, George, full-time chef Alex Schorn and a rotating cast of part-time helpers.

“It’s very similar to what you would find in most Midwestern homes. In my family, my aunt made it for Easter, for Christmas morning, for Thanksgiving brunch … anything where a group of people were coming together.”

Nearly a year after my first casserole experience, one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning in Kansas City is still taking myself out to brunch at You Say Tomato. I sit at a table for one surrounded by plants and knicknacks, read a book and enjoy this quintessentially Midwestern comfort food.

This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 5:30 AM.

Natalie Wallington

The Kansas City Star

Natalie Wallington was a reporter on The Star’s service journalism team with a focus on policy, labor, sustainability and local utilities from fall 2021 until early 2025. Her coverage of the region’s recycling system won a 2024 Feature Writing award from the Kansas Press Association.