Larry Bly

Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.

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• Bubblecake: Aren't you a sweet little cupcake?
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• Recipe of the day

I love Sunday brunches and the choices are more varied than they used to be, but I prefer to hold back on doing an article until I'm sure the restaurant has established its brunch for a period of time. So many in the past have gone into Sunday brunches either to discontinue them a few months later or to go out of business altogether.

Rockfish Food & Wine in Roanoke's Grandin Road/Raleigh Court neighborhood has met my criteria. Theirs is a sustained and ever-building brunch that would please most everyone. Or least me.

It started out simply enough with their cook begging to let him give it a try (I don't know why --breakfast eaters are so picky). So they started small, using the "lunch" side of their restaurant only, the smaller of the two dining rooms.

Next thing you know, the brunch crowds grew so large that they started putting overflow into the main dining area. My last time there they had pretty much decided to abandon the smaller space for Sundays altogether. We were seated in the main dining room for brunch, which I prefer anyway. Next thing you know, they'll have a piano on stage for the Sunday munchers.

I don't need the piano or any other distractions; just bring on the food.

Rockfish is good any time. Dinner is divine. Lunch is fine. And now Sunday brunch is outstanding as well, but you have to beat the church crowd. To be honest, I just skip church altogether and it works out fine. Yes, I know ... there will be hell to pay!

I've tried most of the items on their brunch menu because many are offered at other times as well. For a really terrific chicken and Andouille gumbo, you'd be hard-pressed to get a more robust and tasty one than theirs. Be aware: it's a very huge portion and for some would be the entire meal. Their hummus and housemade chips are always light and flavorful, with a light touch given to the oil but a nice overall garlic background. The mini crab cakes are a perennial favorite at this establishment and just perfect for a brunch portion. A pretty good value at nine bucks, too.

For main entrees (called "plates") I most recently tried the Heuvos Rancheros, with eggs cooked to perfection -- in my case over easy -- and two corn tortillas with refried beans and cheddar and cheese salsa. It compares favorably to the same dish offered by various Mexican restaurants here.

For those with a hearty appetite, you can get steak and eggs with a choice of two sides, though I tend to choose lighter fare when eating brunch. You can get eggs any style with homefries or grits, bacon and sausage, and a biscuit with gravy. And there's the more tradional pancakes (flavor of the chef's choice) or French toast.

Me, I'm a Benedict guy. They offer three and I've tried two of them: the traditional Benedict, served on English muffins with two perfectly poached eggs and light and creamy hollandaise sauce drizzled on it. They got it right. Eggs Benedict is a fussy one to fix and can go very wrong very quickly. I've enjoyed the crabcake benedict. Well, what's not to like about crabcakes and eggs in one dish?

My friends have ordered most of the frittatas. I'm no frittata fan, unless I'm making one at home to use up a bunch of veggies in the refrigerator that are going south. So I leave frittatas, which I generally think are dry, to my dry friends. But if you like them, they do them well: especially the seafood frittata with crab and shrimp. Omelettes include a veggie with shiitake mushrooms, or applewood smoked bacon and gouda cheese, or a spinach and feta omelette, which is my favorite.

There are sandwiches too: Roasted turkey and brie (it's a truly great sandwich), burger and sweet potato fries, double decker BLT hopefully you can now get the "T" part -- those darned pesky tomatoes and their problems as of late. They make a mean Cuban black beans and rice with homemade salsa. Or you may wish to try the Greek salad with Kalamata olives, feta cheese and pepperoncini. I have tried at least every salad in the house over the last few months (I'm on a never-ending diet it seems) and this is a very nicely prepared salad.

Rockfish (and most other restaurants as well) always grab me by their "sides." No matter what I order, I cannot seem to avoid ordering an extra "side," such as their sausage gravy (pretty respectable bowl, this) or the homefries, done to a turn. There are plenty more as well, but those are my favorites.

There is full bar service and I'm told that the mimosas are great. Me, I'm not drinking for brunch. It's bad enough that I'm skipping church

See, I can behave.

Rockfish Food & Wine
1402 Grandin Road S.W.
Roanoke
(540) 904-5454