Matzo ball soup from Perly’s, one of our best restaurants for 2023 (Photo by April Greer)
In This Issue
68 / Family Trees Growing Christmas trees is a family tradition. Can it survive? By Greg Weatherford
74 / The Restaurant List The region’s top 25 places to dine By Bird Cox, Stephanie Ganz, Eileen Mellon and Genevelyn Steele
86 / Winter Break Regional retreats for your next vacay By Paula Peters Chambers
UPFRONT
20 / FROM THE EDITOR
LOCAL
26 / BEST & WORST PART II Some of the highs and lows of the year
28 / CATCH UP Circling back on the Slave Trail, COVID-19 and Kings Dominion
30 / SHORTS A cash infusion for a pharmaceutical tech hub; bigger, better buses
32 / IN MEMORIAM Remembering notable Richmonders we lost in 2023
34 / POLITICS Dems reclaim House and Senate, and the casino proposal is defeated.
36 / HOUSING A local push helps the unhoused, but the root causes remain unsolved.
40 / FLASHBACK The know-how of Samuel Greenhow Johnston
128 / PARTING SHOTS A look back through the lens of Richmond magazine Senior Photographer Jay Paul
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
44 / DATEBOOK “Silver Belles,” lights, legends, “Scrooge in Rouge” and more
46 / SPECIAL EVENTS Four holidays to celebrate
47 / HAPPENINGS 17 things to do this month
48 / SPOTLIGHT A downtown performance space returns.
50 / SPOTLIGHT Shockoe Records releases a holiday album.
52 / SPOTLIGHT Four ways to catch a classic holiday ballet
LIVING
56 / STYLE Avant-garde clothing from local fashion label Victim15
58 / HEALTH Kratom offers high-risk highs.
60 / ENCORE Community efforts to address social isolation
62 / TRY THIS Calligraphers offer unique styles and classes.
64 / FAMILY Exploring the nuances of interfaith holidays
EAT & DRINK
114 / PERSPECTIVE The food and beverage community shares holiday traditions.
116 / INGREDIENT Close out the year with caviar.
118 / SPOTLIGHT Get acquainted with the pop-up phenom Daniel Harthausen.
120 / 5 FAVES RVA-made bar essentials
120 / PURVEYOR Sourcing protein from Emporia Rabbitry
121 / OPEN TAB Four festive winter cocktails
122 / Q&A Meet the kitchen manager at Joe’s Inn.
124 / IN DEPTH Beato Hernandez looks to build a tortilla empire.
This is just a sneak peek of all the content packed into this month’s issue; don’t miss out, SUBSCRIBE NOW!
