Photos by Stephanie Klein-Davis | The Roanoke Times

Patrons dine for lunch at Norah's Cafe at the Taubman Museum of Art on Tuesday.

Photos by Stephanie Klein-Davis | The Roanoke Times

Kasey Thexton, executive chef at Norah's Cafe

Stephanie Klein-Davis | The Roanoke Times

Above: Ashley Adams, Norah's Cafe supervisor, loads up fresh salads for "grab and go" customers.

A few Saturdays ago, my husband and I spent a splendid afternoon at the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke. Before our tour, we ate lunch at Norah's Cafe, a striking, glass-enclosed spot located on the museum's first floor.

MEET THE STAFF

Executive chef Kasey Thexton and sous chef Jerome Bonds both have a contemporary, eclectic approach to the seasonal American food served at Norah's. Along with food and beverage director Suzanne Bird, they come to the cafe from the dining staff of Hollins University.

THE MENU

The lunch and dinner menu offers a range of straightforward casual fare at reasonable $7-to-$10 prices. House-made soups and several appealing sandwiches in this price range make it possible to relish a veritable feast with a tablemate and have money left over for another treat.

Also, there's an array of recently introduced "grab and go" refrigerated specialties. These include freshly prepared sandwiches, green salads and fresh fruit, as well as pasta and grain salads. Boxed house-made desserts and sweets, such as breakfast muffins, brownies and cookies, are also available.

THE VIBE

Upon entering, look at the permanent menu on the wall as well as the specials of the day posted at the counter. Give your order to the cashier, then select a drink from the case or request a hot beverage, which will be brought to your table.

Well-spaced tables, weighty flatware and stylish white china enhance presentation and the dining experience.

Norah's ceiling-to-floor windows give a special view of Salem Avenue, the Williamson Road bridge and railroad tracks (as well as blinding light and uncomfortable heat from the midday sun).

Both the kitchen and dining room staffs are eager to please, and along with the partial self-service, there's a relaxed, charming simplicity about the place.

LUNCH

Soup devotees will enjoy the variety of homey, flavorful offerings ($4/cup). My husband, Jim, ordered a beef and onion vegetable soup, which he found bracing with its vigorous broth. I had the best cream of mushroom soup ever. An armada of sliced fresh and reconstituted mushrooms floated about the smooth and creamy broth, one of perfect consistency and a pleasing balance of seasonings.

Our well-made sandwiches included a Mile High, made with many layers of thinly sliced, warm pastrami with Swiss cheese and mustard on a Kaiser-type roll ($8), served with a side of colorful couscous salad.

My Verdant Panini sandwich ($8) held hefty quantities of beautiful vegetables, including thinly sliced tomatoes, as well as roasted eggplant and red peppers, plus soft slices of mozzarella on appropriately grilled bread seasoned with smears of pesto. This sandwich stood tall, almost bursting with flavorful ingredients, which dared me to finish both halves (I could not), but I did eat just the filling in my second half. The accompanying chips were the perfect size, not too large, not too salty, and just right to partner a sandwich.

Jim ordered coconut cream pie for dessert: Its thick crust encasing almost equal quantities of shredded coconut mixed with custard didn't thrill him -- he left most of it behind. My dessert, sprightly cafe mocha ($3.70), held just the right amount of chocolate syrup to sweeten the dark coffee and provided a sublime finish to a pleasant meal.

Everyone around us had nice things to say about the food, but some exclaimed surprise about the abundance. At the next table, a woman was almost overwhelmed with the full portion of American salad she ordered, "enough for at least three appetites," she said. Jim and I had no complaints about the generous portions.

BRUNCH

I recently returned for Sunday brunch and couldn't get over the number of people enjoying themselves. In the atrium, chairs were set up for folks to enjoy the Irish tunes played by a small group of musicians. This part of the morning provided an unexpected treat I couldn't pass up.

The brunch menu ($8-$10) listed three items, and I debated between Belgian waffles or shrimp and grits. Although I love waffles, my heart and palate belong to that wonderful Southern favorite. Creamy and smooth, the grits performed as the backdrop for five seasoned, medium shrimp arranged in a circle and served in an attractive deep dish, which presented the only glitch: It was impossible to cut the chewy shrimp in half in this dish. It would have been better to have a wide, flat soup plate for this meal.

A chocolate chip muffin accompanied the shrimp and grits. I do like chocolate, but I would have preferred a savory muffin or a toasted English muffin instead. Besides, the many softened pieces of chocolate turned into a messy nuisance, getting all over my fingers.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Moderately priced, engaging American food makes Norah's Cafe a great addition to the downtown dining scene. It's a fantastic option for lunch or an early, casual dinner as well as a marvelous place to meet for a Sunday brunch enhanced by live music in the atrium. It's all very nice, indeed.

Did you know? Norah's Cafe is named for the elegant Norah Gribble, the decorative cutout figure you see placed above the restaurant's posted menu. American artist John Singer Sargent painted her portrait in 1888, and the 7-foot original of her hangs in an upstairs gallery.