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The Roanoke Times/File

A new downtown Roanoke restaurant is already expanding into the realm of Sunday brunch.

This Sunday will be the first day for brunch at Le Bistro, which is located in the former Nico's Italian Restaurant space at 125 Campbell Ave. The head chef is Tony Pope, former owner of Tony Pope's Bistro and Wine Bar on Crystal Spring Avenue in South Roanoke.

I've been hearing good things about Le Bistro, so I was glad to have an opportunity to lunch there with a colleague yesterday. My homemade pasta with beef tips and horseradish cream sauce ($9) was exceptional, and I had a pile of it left over for lunch today. The menu relies heavily on local ingredients (my beef came from Leaping Waters Farm in Alleghany Springs, Va.) and specials that change on a daily basis.

Tony says brunch will be no different. He plans to stick with the farm-to-table cuisine as much as possible, with creative specials and a Southern touch. The brunch will be a la carte and runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

I hope to see more of these downtown brunch options, especially as more and more people move into renovated apartment and condo spaces downtown. I'm a bit jealous, actually - imagining myself rolling out of bed late on a lazy Sunday, grabbing my paper and strolling down the street for a delicious start to my day. Plus there would be no grass to mow...