In recent years, Richmond’s restaurant scene has received national attention, making lists for “U.S. City With an Unexpectedly International Food Scene” (Fodor’s Travel), “America’s Next Great Restaurant-Obsessed Town” (Bon Appetit) and “Top Ten Best City for Vegetarians” (Apartment Guide). The James Beard Foundation nominated five Richmond restaurants for its annual awards this year, and Longoven in Scott’s Addition was named one of America’s 10 best new restaurants by Bon Appetit this fall.
Now it’s our turn to bestow accolades.
We gathered our food writers and restaurant critics early this fall to begin work on our biennial Best Restaurants feature. The process involved many lists and spreadsheets, hours of discussion and debate, and weeks of restaurant visits followed by more lists, spreadsheets and debate. It’s a task we do not take lightly. On this year’s list, you’ll find old favorites as well as new places to discover. We hope you’ll support them — and all of the region’s local establishments — so they can thrive.
While the explosion of restaurants has been a boon to local eaters, it’s also made for an ultra-competitive environment for restaurant owners as they vie for our dining dollars. I write this letter having just learned of two restaurant closings within the past 24 hours — Scuffletown Garden and Sheep Hill Bistro. Both were open for less than a year. In fact, we were planning to run a complimentary review of Scuffletown in this very issue and were shocked to learn of its early demise.
In this issue, you’ll also find a lot of great holiday content, including a look at the history of Richmond’s tacky lights tour, a recipe for eggnog and our version of an Advent calendar, with a holiday event for most every day of December. There are reminders of long-running holiday traditions such as Legendary Santa and “The Nutcracker,” as well as some lesser-known holiday happenings that might just become your family’s favorite new tradition. A few years ago, after a less than jolly holiday season, I reassessed the way I celebrate, eliminating the traditions that bring me stress — participating in a holiday cookie exchange, going whole hog on decorations, buying too many gifts — and instead making more time for meaningful experiences.
We also investigate stem cell therapies, present our Go South and Pet Guide special sections, and look back at 2019 (Page 26) with our take on some of the region’s finer and not-so-fine moments. That’s a wrap on 2019. Onward!