This January, Clementine’s Ice Creamery celebrates Veganuary, a global movement that encourages people to explore a plant-based lifestyle during the first month of the year. Whether guests go fully vegan or want to make more mindful choices, Veganuary is all about discovering delicious swaps that don't sacrifice flavor. All month long, Clementine's Ice Cream will be unveiling new, vibrant dairy-free flavors. From refreshing sorbets to luxuriously creamy coconut-based scoops, there will be something to please every palate!
Happy New Year, connoisseurs of fine wines. Throughout 2026, we will sharing with you recent wine discoveries of globetrotting wine expert Vicki Denig. She will feature five recent standouts in each issue. As a wine and travel journalist, as well as a Certified Specialist of Wine, based between New York and Paris, she will detail the history and nuances of the vintages and let you know why you might want these gems in your cellar. Bonjour!
For decades, Bissinger’s — one of the oldest names in American confectionery — and the Abel family’s Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company have been guardians of that craft. Today, they’re doing something harder: translating hand-made heritage into modern growth, with a bold expansion plan that plants the St. Louis chocolate story in two of America’s most competitive arenas — Nashville and New York City. Hit the sweet spot by reading the whole story and seeing the treats that made them a household name.
As soon as the final bottle of champagne is popped on New Year’s Eve, more and more people are hitting the reset button on the booze and skip it New Year’s Day — in fact for all of January. Dry January is a popular New Year's resolution that started out as a short term detox whose purpose was to undo the excesses and indulgences of the holiday season. Today, for a number of reasons, although the month is cold, Dry January is hot. Everywhere you look it is trending with multitudinous ways do what alcohol helps most people do — unwind, connect with others, and have fun. Here we explore the trend that is catching fire.
As 2026 dawns, 5,280 circular Waterford crystal discs will fall from the sky on the ball in Times Square. Like fine Waterford crystal, 2026 rings in the fourteenth year that Sophisticated Living St. Louis has brought you the finest. Get a sampling here of what 2026 has to offer in the pages of the January/February issue of St. Louis’ leading luxury lifestyle magazine.
2026 is on the horizon, and many high-end St. Louis destinations will help you ring in the new year in style. From all-inclusive events, to sit-down prix fixe menu experiences, celebrate New Year’s Eve & Day with Champagne toasts, raw bars, prix fixe menus, and more at places ranging from the glamorous Ritz Carlton’s Lobby Lounge, to None of the Above, the speakeasy-style cocktail lounge located underground at City Foundry STL.
The holidays are in the air. Everywhere you look you can see it. The holidays in St. Louis are as electric as the lights that dot the cityscape. Neiman’s and Saks are decked in gay apparel. Keyboards are clicking rapidly ordering from Amazon. Thanksgiving feasts are being planned. Travel arrangements are made. And you want to do it right. You want to do it with style. We can help. Here, we present our annual Sophisticated Guide to the Holidays. We’ve assembled a curated collection of places to eat. Places to go. Things to give. Things to do. And Things to see. From A-Z, there’s a virtual charcuterie of board goodies to select from in St. Louis.
Brandon Benack, Truffles Restaurant’s long time executive chef, a master of hand-rolled pasta, is now making house calls. He shows up to your house looking like he's about to commit a crime. He’s got a gun case slung over his shoulder and a massive cutting board tucked under his arm. Fear not. That case holds his collection of antique pasta-making tools. That cutting board becomes the stage for the resurrection of centuries-old Italian pasta traditions that most people have never seen. He is the “pasta assassin.”
Soon we will be singing Auld Lang Syne as we say farewell to 2025. Throughout 2025, we’ve shared with you the good life, both near and far. We are the region’s leading luxury lifestyle omnichannel publication. From print, to digital, to social media, we make sure that you have your finger on the pulse. Let’s take a look back at 2025 through the lens of our issues of the last 10 months, and say hello to our newly-minted November/December issue, which will be available soon.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse is known nationwide for their excellent service and food, but some may not know it for its unique appetizer menu and broad selection of fine wines. Here, we explore the Ruth’s Chris experience in an evening of wine pairings with delectable starters as only Ruth’s Chris can do them.
St. Louis might be a relatively small market, but it has garnered national attention as a foodie destination. Many restaurants and purveyors here have been recognized by esteemed organizations like the James Beard Foundation, Food & Wine Magazine, and Food Network. If you’re a curious culinarian looking to further your flavor adventures, then let food writer Matt Sorrell help you discover some of the high points in St. Louis’s vibrant culinary landscape with St. Louis Food Story: Bars, Restaurants, Shops, and Other Purveyors, by Matt Sorrell.
As the NHL season launches on October 7th, on the same week as National Taco day, many fans will be looking forward to engaging game day experiences. And for many, the highlight starts with the food. Tacos rank 1st as NHL fans’ favorite snack, with over 1 million searches across North America. In fact, Tacos are the most popular NHL snack in 10 out of the 19 U.S. states that host at least one NHL team. Missouri is one of those states.
It’s hard to imagine St. Louis without the beloved Crown Candy Kitchen. Since 1913 when a man called Harry Karandzieff bought the 1880 building at the corner of St. Louis Avenue and 14th Street in the Old North neighborhood, the business has grown into and local institution. The soda fountain is the city’s oldest and without question the place to come for a malt … and a not-so-humble BLT. Come with us to the place where sweet dreams become reality.
MUSE: The Styled Course, is an intimate, one-night-only fashion and culinary experience and couture-inspired dinner where fashion meets flavor. Happening October 2, 2025, at 21C Museum Hotel St. Louis, it is a production of Brainchild Next. MUSE pairs Chef Bonnie Moore, Executive Chef of Idol Wolf, with acclaimed designer Shanna Britta for a four-course dinner inspired by fashion, styled with intention.
Internationally acclaimed photographer and Sony Artisan of Imagery Andy Katz mesmerizes global audiences with his breathtaking photography that explores the intersection of nature, light, and raw beauty. His lifelong passion for photography, nature, and storytelling propels his ongoing quest to unite and inspire through the lens of his camera. What started as a childhood fascination quickly evolved into a profound calling that would take him across continents, to over 90 countries, capturing the beauty and mystery of far-flung destinations. See more.
Upscale Italy has crossed the pond and come to Westport with Basso on the Plaza, the newest addition in firmament of mega-developer Lodging Hospitality Management’s properties. For years, LHM has been reinventing the now 52-year Westport Plaza in an effort to make it one of the region’s top entertainment districts. The upscale feel was evident with the debut of 360 Westport in 2024 on the rooftop of the iconic gold tower. Now, 2025 adds to Westport’s high-end venues. It’s a place where you know you can find good Italian food and are welcomed into a dining setting unparalleled in the area. See for yourself here.
At Baetje Farms, nestled in the quiet countryside of Bloomsdale, Missouri, visitors are offered more than just a tour — they are invited into a slower rhythm of life, where craft, care and connection to the land shape everything from world renowned cheese to hospitality. Although only 52 miles outside the city, in a world moving at hyper speed, Baetje Farms offers a pause where guests are embraced by a cathedral of trees and natural borders of river and wild growth.
LOVE Wine is a new collaboration that celebrates women in wine and art. Recently, J. Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg, California, debuted LOVE Wine. It is a collaboration between the sparkling wine house and the art and design initiative grantLOVE, created by artist and philanthropist Alexandra Grant. Each new bottling of LOVE Wine will feature a unique label created in collaboration with a leading female-identified artist. Learn more here about this labor of love.
Ruth's Chris Steak House is creating its own fireworks this year with its RBAR Burger - a special grind on a brioche bun with Havarti cheese, lettuce, tomato & smoked onion aioli and signature chips accompanied by its hand-crafted Wildberry Lemonade, a red, white and blue salute to the 4th. Celebrate the 4th downtown with a view of the Independence Day fireworks, or at the Chesterfield location.
Discover the finds that New York and Paris-based certified wine specialist Vicki Denig has found while she recently scoured the globe. She shares with you here a handful of the most interesting, delicious bottles she found during her search, as well as a bit about their stories, what they taste like, and the context in which she enjoyed them, and how she thinks you'll best enjoy them, too.
