🍻 Wasn’t Essen Haus supposed to close?

🏫 Edgewood School Will Become Edgewood University

• What’s in a name? The century-old Edgewood College is changing its name later this year to “Edgewood University.” University officials said the name better reflects the courses that the school offers, in particular its master’s and doctoral programs, where colleges are perceived as being primarily for undergraduates.
• The change will come just in time for the 100th anniversary of Edgewood, which started in 1927 as a small women’s liberal arts college. [WMTV]

🏒 Ice Arenas Will Stay Open With Debt Forgiven

• The Madison City Council has overwhelmingly backed a plan to keep both Madison Ice Arena and Hartmeyer Ice Arena open, and forgive $1.6 million in defaulted debt to the city.
• The move creates a new nonprofit, the East Madison Ice Commission, that will begin a $3 million private fundraising campaign to fix Hartmeyer’s roof and HVAC system. Madison Ice Inc., which owned both arenas, will keep Madison Ice Arena and have its debt to the city forgiven. [City of Madison]

🍺 Rumors of Essen Haus’ Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

• For a restaurant that was supposed to be torn down last summer, Essen Haus sure has a lot going on. The German restaurant, and the Come Back In bar next door, were slated to be closed down and demolished last August to make way for apartments and a hotel.
• Instead, that development appears to be in limbo, and both establishments have stayed open. In fact, the Madison Plan Commission okayed letting live music events and sand volleyball take place there this summer. [🔒WSJ]

January is usually a slow time for restaurants – who wants to leave the house when the air hurts your face? So, much as they did with the slow period in the summer, a few years ago Madison Magazine started hosting “Winter Restaurant Week.”

The deal is that for $30 and up, diners get a three-course prix fixe meal of appetizer, dinner, and a dessert. Some restaurants are also offering a $20 and up three-course lunch as well. It’s a great way to discover a new spot or a new dish at a favorite spot – I found my absolute favorite dessert in Madison, the budino at Osteria Papavero, at a Restaurant Week lunch.

Get your appetites ready for this year’s Winter Restaurant Week, running Jan. 19-24, and listen to Emma Waldinger from Madison Magazine give her tips for making the most out of the week on the City Cast Madison podcast today.

Here’s some places you ought to check out, no matter what part of the city you live in.

Downtown

Osteria Papavero has a $30 dinner where you can get torta pasqualina or a Tuscan-style stew known as scottiglia, along with that heavenly budino. Try the citrus cured Atlantic salmon or juniper and caraway crusted pork loin at Heritage Tavern.

The Stuffed Olive in the oLiv building (get it?) on State Street offers steak skewers and sesame-seared tuna, but homemade doughnut holes for dessert! And Merchant offers a fried breaded pork cutlet that sounds perfect for cold weather dining, along with warm beignets for dessert.

West Side

The Peruvian restaurant AmarPeru opened last summer, and is offering both a lunch and dinner menu, including seafood mixto and beef anticuchero. The new One & Only on Monroe Street offers seared cod and Panko-fried chicken cutlets and oysters three ways as an appetizer.

I hear a lot of good things about Sushi Lover at West Towne Mall, including an all-you-can-eat sushi and hibachi lunch for $20! And enjoy a three-course poke lunch at Miko that includes a bowl, soup or salad, and dessert.