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Whether you burned the main course and need a Plan B or don't celebrate the holiday, sometimes you want to dine out on Christmas Day.

Here are the restaurants that are open, with options ranging from steak and brunch to burgers and beers:

Amuse (in the VMFA, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.) is offering a three-course prix fixe menu, but it’s pretty much booked. Walk-ins are accepted at the bar.

Carytown Indian Cuisine (2907 W. Cary St.) will be open for regular hours — use the holiday as an excuse to try one of the city’s new hotspots.

Beauvine (1501 W. Main St.) will have your burgers, duck-fat French fries, boozy milkshakes and seasonal cocktails from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Bottoms Up Pizza (1700 Dock St.) will be serving classic topping-loaded pizzas from 4 to 9 p.m., and you can make reservations.

Dave & Busters (4001 Brownstone Blvd.) is open if you’re ready to change up your holiday tradition or in need of evening entertainment for kids on a sugar high. It also accepts reservations.

Floris at VMFA (200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.) will be offering a special holiday tea menu from Dec. 24-27, including on Christmas Day, with a selection of sweet and savory courses for $65 per person. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint (5810 Grove Ave.) opens at 5 p.m. on Christmas Day. Escape the family, or bring them out for a round of beers, burgers and fried Oreos.

Lehja (Short Pump Town Center, 11800 W. Broad St.) will be open and serving the regular menu along with a selection of Christmas specials.

Lemaire (101 W. Franklin St.) has long been sold out for the entire month of December, but it is open on Christmas Day with holiday specials and a regular a la carte menu. It does offer a wait list.

Old Original Bookbinder’s (2306 E. Cary St.) is offering a three-course prix fixe for $95, with choices of fish, steak, crab cakes or grilled portobello mushrooms and white beans as an entrée.

Peter Chang’s (2816 A. W. Broad St. and 11408 W. Broad St.) will be open and serving the regular menu.

SB’s Main Street Love Shack (2600 W. Main St.) will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for all of your creative brunch needs.

The Lobby Bar at Quirk Hotel (201 W. Broad St.) is offering a Christmas Day brunch buffet for $65 per adult and $40 per child 8 and under. Load up on traditional breakfast items, buffet stations like porchetta with sweet-potato-cherry mostarda, platters and desserts.

The Patio Thai (103 E. Cary St.) will be open and serving the regular menu. Roasted duck curry and pad Thai sounds like a pretty delicious celebration to us.

Texas de Brazil (11800 W. Broad St.): Why commit to one meat when you can have an unlimited supply? Dinner costs $52.99 for everything or $31.99 for the salad bar only.

RICHMOND, VA., — The Virginia Board of Medicine has suspended the licenses of two Richmond area doctors for alleged inappropriate relationships with their patients.

On February 15, the Board suspended Dr. Patrick Anthony Oliver’s license to practice medicine in Virginia.

An order of summary suspension alleges a relationship began in January 2022 when a patient sought his ketamine infusion therapy to treat her suicide ideation. She stated she experienced “suicidal thoughts daily” and attempted to take her own life in 2021.

Dr. Oliver founded MindPeace Clinics in 2017 to offer ketamine therapy to patients who don’t respond to other medications and therapies, according to the clinic’s website.

The former Bon Secours emergency room doctor appeared on WTVR’s Virginia This Morning program during the pandemic to tout his ketamine therapy. His clinic was also featured in numerous articles including the Washington Postand Richmond Magazine.

The Board documents detailed a progression to a sexual relationship between the doctor and patient involving late-night texts and calls.

The doctor asked the patient to communicate through an app called Signal which deletes messages after they are read, according to the suspension.

The documents showed Dr. Oliver told the patient: “No one can know, they would take my license, I will lose everything.” and “If you tell anyone about this it will end my world, I need you stay quiet at least until you’re healthy and not getting regular infusions from me anymore.”

Dr. Oliver told the investigators that he thought he wasn’t breaking any laws or regulations because the patient’s treatment ended four days before their sexual relationship.

The doctor added that the patient “consented to the relationship without hesitation,” and that the patient “initiated [the sexual relationship], and that [he] succumbed to it.”

The patient did require a booster infusion on March 10, 2022 contrary to Dr. Oliver’s assertion that the practitioner–patient relationship had ended.

The patient is quoted in the suspension saying she realized how inappropriate her relationship was and told Dr. Oliver not to call her again and blocked his phone number. The relationship ended in March 2022.

CBS 6’s Brendan King stopped by his Museum District home on Wednesday.

He told Brendan “not right now” when asked to comment on his suspension and that he’d have to talk to his attorney first before speaking with us.

Dr. Oliver’s biography has since been removed from the MindPeace Clinics’ website.

The clinic did not return a request for comment about his suspension.

Dr. Samuel Thomas Clanton voluntarily surrendered license

On February 21, the Virginia Board of Medicine accepted Dr. Samuel Thomas Clanton’s voluntary surrender of his license after engaging “in a personal romantic and sexual relationship” with a patient, according to a consent order. The board first suspended his license in November 2023.

The order said Dr. Clanton, who worked at Sheltering Arms Institute, developed a relationship with a patient who had a history of repeat head injuries and concussions.

The patient told Dr. Clanton they suffered from passive suicide ideation, mood disturbance, and a history of depression.

He gave the patient his phone number at their second visit on July 6, 2022, according to the documents. The order stated that their relationship began in February or March 2023 and disclosed his personal and marital problems to her.

“Dr. Clanton’s boundary violations with Patient A caused harm to Patient A,” the order said.

In her written complaint, the patient said her mental health worsened during the relationship.

The doctor alleged that he was “sucked in” by the patient and he tried to push them away.

Dr. Clanton can seek reinstatement of his license in five years.

Patients with suicide ideation are “so isolated”

Alexandra Cromer is a licensed professional counselor withThriveworks in Downtown Richmond.

She said it’s very common to treat people with depression and suicide ideation.

“They describe it as the darkness where it's so lonely, and they're so isolated,” Cromer explained. “I also like to try to respect that headspace of you must have suffered through so much to get to this headspace where being not alive, seems like the best solution.”

Cromer spoke to CBS 6 generally about the patients she works with and not specifically about any case.

Cromer also oversees new counselors during their residencies where she drills in the importance of ethics.

"It's not enough to just not do harm to your clients, you're supposed to do good to them and protect them," she noted.

She said ethics between health professionals and patients was front and center at her alma mater William and Mary.

“You are the helping professional and you have these degrees on your wall. When someone is in so much pain, they're going to be in a vulnerable position,” she stated.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis, there is help available. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is 988. You can also text 988 for help.

Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.

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EAT IT, VIRGINIA restaurant news and interviews

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

News

Record ridership driving growth

WASHINGTON — More people are traveling by train with a record number stopping in Virginia and North Carolina. The top five stations in the Southeast in 2023 were the Staples Mill Road Station in Richmond, Va., Alexandria, Va., Charlotte, N.C., Norfolk, Va., and Raleigh, N.C.

“The tremendous growth in ridership is a result of the substantial investments North Carolina and Virginia are making to expand and improve passenger rail,” Amtrak Vice President Ray Lang said. “Customers are taking advantage of a sustainable way to travel to the many destinations our network offers.”

Amtrak Virginia, the Virginia state-supported passenger rail service, offers 12 daily trains to the Richmond station for service to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York, and Boston. Customers can also access additional Amtrak service for travel to Raleigh, Charlotte, Savannah, Ga., and other cities as far south as Miami.

“Richmond is not just the capital of Virginia, it’s the epicenter of the East, connecting the Southeast and the Northeast by rail,” said DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) which oversees the Commonwealth’s Amtrak Virginia service. “All three of these stations – Richmond-Staples Mill, Alexandria, and Norfolk – offer Virginians access to rail service connecting the Commonwealth with the rest of the East Coast.”

In North Carolina, the Piedmont and Carolinian services offer daily roundtrips for travel between Raleigh, Charlotte, and points in between. The Piedmont and Carolinian, which travels daily from New York to Charlotte, and stops at the Staples Mill Road Station in Richmond, Va., and Alexandria, Va., are sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and operated by Amtrak.

“The growth we’ve seen in ridership in 2022 and 2023 is unprecedented,” said Jason Orthner, NCDOT’s Rail Division Director. “Continuing to work in partnership with Amtrak and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority to increase connections and decrease travel time between destinations in the South and the Northeast is a priority to increase and enhance NC By Train service in North Carolina and beyond.”

Virginia and North Carolina received federal grants to help continue pursuing their vision to expand service in the region.

In addition to Richmond, Alexandria, and Norfolk, Amtrak Virginia also serves Newport News, Roanoke, and 12 other Virginia communities. In 2023, the service set a ridership record of more than 1.3 million passengers, making the Commonwealth one of the most popular travel destinations on the Amtrak national network.

Plans are underway to expand Amtrak Virginia service through VPRA’s Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative, resulting in two additional roundtrips in 2026 and three in 2030.

Amtrak is capitalizing on ridership growth by advancing historic infrastructure investments that will launch new and expanded services, advance safety and reliability, improve accessibility, drive economic development and enhance the customer experience.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Opponents of efforts to legalize skill games in Virginia rallied at the State Capitol on Tuesday as competing plans on how to open up that market make their way through the General Assembly.

Several groups joined together to hold a news conference expressing concerns about the impact the machines will have in neighborhoods and on children exposed to them.

Advocates for the skill games are in favor of the Senate version that allows more machines in a business and has a lower tax rate.

They said the machines needed to be legalized to help small businesses financially and called the concerns about community impact unwarranted.

"We don't allow the kids to play the games. And if the kids are playing the games, they can't win anything in playing the games, because they need to have an ID proving their age. And we supervise it and we make sure it doesn't happen," Richard Kelly, the president of the Virginia Merchants and Amusement Coalition, said.

Richmond-area teacher Lorin Johnson said it goes beyond winning and losing the game.

"Low-income communities need jobs and better schools, not slot machines on every corner," Johnson said. "These convenience store slot machines do not promote the kind of values I want in the children in my community."

For years, the machines have proliferated as policymakers grapple with how to regulate them amid a big-money lobbying fight featuring stiff casino industry opposition to the devices, also known as skill games. They are currently prohibited in Virginia under a ban passed in 2020.

A spokesperson for Governor Glenn Youngkin (R - Virginia) said the administration had serious concerns with both versions of the bill, including issues with tax rates, the number of machines, and broader public safety implications.

This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

EAT IT, VIRGINIA restaurant news and interviews

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Many Veterans find staying active a rewarding and challenging part of their treatment. When you add-in competition, comradery, and entertaining activities, you have a recipe for successful rehabilitation and a good time.

Adaptive sports recreation therapists at the Richmond VA Medical Center hosted the 2nd Annual Richmond Tournament of Champions here September 25-27, 2023. Veterans competing in the games tested their skills at 9-ball billiards, cycling, air rifle marksmanship, bocce ball, disc golf, and bowling.Richmond VA recreation therapists, Jennifer Vass, Nicole Shuman, and other rec therapy team members organized the multi-day event. The idea originated when many of the games VA patients were accustomed to attending were cancelled during the COVID pandemic.“We have a group of Veterans who love to travel to national Veterans' events,” Vass said. “During COVID, that stopped.”The logistics of getting Veterans and staff to these events during this period became much more complex and, in many cases, ceased altogether.Veteran athletes who were unable to travel for their beloved games became disheartened.Having gained ample experience working and attending many VA national games, Vass and Shuman decided to take matters into their own hands by organizing an event on their home turf.“It’s exciting to be able to have this here, and it’s good practice for our Veterans who are going to the big games,” Shuman said.She also stated that these games provide an opportunity to those Veterans who are not able to travel to compete, as well as introducing new patients and many of the facility’s inpatients to enjoy the experience.With just three months of preparation, the therapists were set to kick off the three-day tournament with 28 competitors and six separate events.One of the main goals of these games is to help those Veterans who are recovering from injury to regain independence and quality of life. Vass and Shuman both remarked that one such person who participated in the games is competitive recumbent racer, Mike Brooks. Brooks was injured in a cycling accident and did physical rehabilitation at the Richmond VA hospital.“I think it was four or five years ago that we gave him his first trike through the equipment program,” Shuman said. “He put 8,000 miles on it.”Through hard work, treatment and physical therapy, Brooks was able to return to a sport that he loves.“Being part of helping someone get that ability back is extremely exciting and rewarding,” Shuman added.This year’s event concluded with a fellowship dinner and awards ceremony for participants and their families. The ceremony included special guest speakers and awards for the top three competitors in each sport.Matthew Reed competed in five of the six events and took home the coveted Triple Threat Championship crown for being the top competitor in three events.“I’m legally blind,” Reed said. “Through Nicole’s [Shuman] assistance, and the whole team’s assistance, it truly became an adaptive experience for me.”Reed appreciated the opportunity to be able to compete with his friends at the VA.“The team here is just fantastic,” he said. “It’s so much fun to be part of this adaptive sports program.”Vass, Shuman, and the rest of their team already have their sights set on next year's games. Their goal is to expand the Tournament of Champions with more participants, more fellowship, and more fun.