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Attention locavores. A Roanoke eatery with a focus on serving fresh, locally-produced foods reopens on Tuesday.

The Local Roots Cafe on Grandin Road has shut its doors for the past two weeks for reorganizing. It will open back up with new menu selections and more space for dining.

Owner Rives Elliot told me recently that along with an a la carte menu, the restaurant will offer three, five and eight course prix fixe meals.

The courses will feature the same kinds of foods that already are on Local Roots' menu, including meats from Mountain Run Farm in Sedalia, local breads and Homestead Creamery dairy products.

Also, specific wines will be paired with different courses. The price for the three-course meal will be $30, but prices for the others haven't yet been determined.

"The idea is you get to try more than a regular meal," said Elliot, who opened Local Roots in early 2008. "It's very experiential."

Also, his cafe will offer corporate lunch catering for small and large groups.

You'll also find eight additional seats for lunch and dinner dining in the front room of the cafe, where Elliot has set up more tables.

And look for some special events in the new year at Local Roots, such as a Feb. 14 five and ten course prix fixe meal for Valentine's Day. 

As part of other dinner events during the year, local farmers and other businesses, such as Amrhein Wine Cellars, will make appearances at Local Roots to talk about their food and wine products.

You can keep updated on these events by checking out Local Roots Cafe's Web site.

Yesterday we talked about Valentine's Day dining. Today, the official forecast is out on how much people will spend for this national holiday of love.

The National Retail Federation says consumers plan to scale down a bit this year. Perhaps, you'll receive a half dozen roses, rather than a dozen.  Or instead of a large heart-shaped box of rich chocolates, it will be a small, square version.

Whatever the item, you'll probably spend less. According to the survey by BIGresearch for the NRF, the average person will shell out $102.50, down from $122.98 last year.

Still, flowers remain the most popular gift that people plan to buy their significant other. This year, 35.7 percent of consumers will purchase flowers, compared with 35.9 percent on Feb. 14, 2008, according to the survey. Also, 16 percent of the people surveyed will buy jewelry, down slightly from the 16.6 percent who purchased jewelry last year.

But, more people said they will send Valentine's greeting cards this year, compared with last year. That's 58 percent this Feb. 14, from 56.8 percent in 2008.

"Valentine's Day this year will be more about small tokens of affection rather than extravagant purchases," said Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategic initiatives for BIGresearch, in a news release today.

Mexican flavor is coming to Valley View Mall.

Los Dos Amigos is making plans to open on the mall's lower level, near the food court and Sears, according to a Roanoke building permit.  Check out a map of the mall here. Los Dos Amigos is headed for space LD-160.

Valley View spokeswoman, Ashley Likens, told me that this restaurant will serve Mexican fare, but she hasn't yet disclosed information about the new tenant and the owner.

In case you missed this news, Starbucks plans to close 200 U.S. stores and 100 locations internationally this year. The coffee retailer also will lay off at least 6,700 workers.

There's no word yet on which Starbucks locations will close and whether they will include stores in the Roanoke and New River valleys.

Read this story for more information.

And to read a letter about the announcement from Starbucks' chief executive officer, Howard Schultz, click here.

Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, and restaurants already are preparing for this weekend day to be extra competitive. Likely couples will be battling for baby sitters as well as available tables at eateries that day.

Also, look out for more restaurant deals on Valentine’s Day meals. With restaurant sales expected to decline in 2009, because of a tough economy, eateries want to be sure to seal the deal for Feb. 14, one of the busiest days of the year for dining out.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill already is advertising its Valentine’s Day meal. The restaurant chain is marketing the event as a pre-celebration, largely to draw couples who want to avoid the weekend crowds.

The eatery with a location in Roanoke near Valley View Mall is hosting Dal Cuore Nights, which means “From the Heart Nights,” on Feb. 11 and 12.  Couples who dine there will be served a prix fixe menu, with $10 off any bottle of wine. The menu includes an appetizer, an entrée and mini-dessert, for less than $20. Featured entrees will be sirloin marsala, chicken bryan, chicken marsala, polo rosa maria and grilled salmon.

Also, a couple will have a chance to win a seven-night Italian cruise and dinner for four at Carrabba’s. Click here for more details.

Other prizes will be awarded for free Carrabba’s dinners.

If you know of other restaurants advertising Valentine's Day deals, share the details about them. And if your own Feb. 14 plans are set, share them, too.

Have you embarked on any shopping sprees lately? I did some major shopping just after Christmas at an outlet mall in Tennessee, where the sales were great.

Lately, I've been cutting back on what I consider fun shopping to save money. I'm sure I'm not the only one. These tips below about what to consider before you make that purchase just arrived in my inbox from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Financial Literacy Commission. They're important for all of us to remember.

Before you spend:

1) Check your inventory: Look through your closet and ask, "Do I really need anything?"

2) Plan ahead: Use extra funds to pay down debt and save for an emergency fund, particularly as the job market turns more uncertain.

3) Do the math: Beware of free interest or low monthly payments on large items, such as "no interest for 36 months" deals. If you miss a payment on a bargain item that's attached to a no interest deal, you could be charged a high interest rate and end up shelling out more money than you expected.

4) Make sure you are covered: Find out how to get warranty service or a replacement, for a purchase. If a retailer goes out of business, you probably won't be able to return an item.

You can visit AICPA's financial literacy Web site for more information and tips.

Hey blog readers. If you're a fan of take-out food, I have an update on a Roanoke area restaurant delivery business that may be especially pleasing for you. Dine on Time has added more restaurants to its list of delivery establishments.

Dine on Time delivers restaurant food orders directly to your home. All you have to do is contact the company and place your order from its selection of area eateries. Employees for Dine on Time pick up your order at the restaurant and deliver it to your doorstep, for a delivery fee.

This business was launched late last year by a father-and-son team, Jeff and Mark Spar. It arrived soon after a long-time restaurant delivery service, Gourmet to Go, shuttered its business.

Here's the new list of restaurants for delivery through Dine on Time:

Fork in the Alley

Ragazzi's

Figi Island

Frank's on Brambleton

Frank's Pizza & Subs (at Hunting Hills Plaza)

Buffalo Wild Wings

El Rodeo

Padow's Hams & Deli

Wildwood Smokehouse

The delivery fee is $3.99, except for a $2.49 fee for orders at Frank's on Brambleton and Frank's Pizza & Subs. You can place orders by phone or online at Dine on Time's Web site.

Also, if you order food on Feb. 15, the delivery fees will be donated to the local Head Start program, run by Total Action Against Poverty.

Sunday is a big day for football watching in many households, and next Sunday is one of the biggest parties of the year--the Super Bowl. Each year, electronics stores gear up for a jump in television sales, but this year, they may not see the same rush.

A survey by BIG Research, for the National Retail Federation, reports that fewer people plan to purchase electronics, apparel and furniture for the Super Bowl.  In fact, Super Bowl parties likely will have a scaled-down tone this year, because people are watching their budgets more closely. Viewers will spend an average of $57.27 on food, team apparel and merchandise this year for the big game, down from $59.90 last year, according to the survey.

Still, 72 percent of consumers will stock up on food and drinks for Super Bowl parties, which is up from 67.4 percent last year. Likely, people are shifting their purchases to this category, from electronics.

Tell me what your Super Bowl party will look like this year.

On another note, be sure to check out my retail column in today's Business section. Since we have talked lately about Panera Bread's breakfast promotion, you may be interested in learning about this week's opening of Panera Bread's new Blacksburg restaurant. The franchisee for Panera Bread also shared with me plans for future eateries in the region.

Restaurant chains are battling for your breakfast dollars.

In the drive-thru line, across fast food counters and at casual, sit-down establishments, options for this morning meal have expanded in the past several years.

One quick-service chain, Panera Bread, plans to market some of its newer breakfast items next week. On Wednesday, arrive at a local Panera Bread restaurant, and you'll receive free cups of the bakery-cafe's new light and dark roast coffees. Also, there will be samples of three grilled breakfast sandwiches, which have been offered for awhile at Panera Bread, and the chain's new strawberry granola parfait.

The free breakfast day isn't only for your tasting pleasure. While at Panera Bread, you can donate to Panera Bread's Community Breadbox effort, which gives bread to charitable organizations involved in food distribution.

On Wednesday, Roanoke and New River valley Panera Breads plan to match customer donations for this cause, up to $250 per location.

Panera Bread has two restaurants in the Roanoke Valley and one in Christiansburg.

Since the news of Circuit City's demise, there's been much discussion about where the Circuit City faithful will shop once the electronics retailers' stores shut down nationwide and in Roanoke. Some of you have shared why you do or do not enjoy shopping at Circuit City's rival, Best Buy.

Best Buy won't benefit from all of the former Circuit City shoppers. According to this Dow Jones story, other retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Staples and Amazon.com, stand to win some of the business.

Even so, analysts speculate that at least 40 percent of the sales that would have gone to Circuit City will indeed shift to Best Buy.

So, tell me, if you have been a loyal Circuit City shopper, where will you shop for electronics once the stores are closed?

The liquidation sales began at Circuit City last weekend. Did you land any deals in Roanoke or elsewhere? From what has been reported, most of the items only have been marked down by 10 percent so far.

Last weekend, liquidation sales also began at Goody's, another retailer that is going out of business. But many of the sales haven't hit the 50 percent or deeper range yet. Most of the prices for apparel and shoes have been marked down 40 percent.