Our weekly round up food news includes the usual “good news, bad news” of openings and closings, but let's start with something that’ll warm the heart (and the stomach) during these chilly times.

Soup is a classic example of a dish that can satisfy a lot of different purposes and flavor profiles. It can be savory, spicy, sweet, hot, cold, spoon-fed, sipped, slurped — it’s versatile, is the point. It’s also tailor-made for this part of the calendar, fueling your inner furnace to help you push through the colder months.

Ann clearly had that timeliness in mind when she published her list of the best soups in Milwaukee, which adopts a worldly perspective by focusing on soups from around the globe. She highlighted seven bowl-worthy options, four of which we talked about in this episode:

• Broccoli Cheddar from Loup in Wauwatosa
• Khao Poon from Vientiane Noodle Shop on National Avenue
• Chicken in the Pot from Benji’s Deli in Fox Point
• Brazilian Seafood Chowder from Amaranth Bakery & Cafe on Lisbon Avenue

You can find the full list of seven, including descriptions and Ann’s mini-reviews, over at Milwaukee Magazine. That’s also where you’ll find a couple of the other news items we covered in this episode:

• Ann dipped into her knowledge of Silver City and Burnham Park to share her top restaurants in both neighborhoods.
• A few months after eliminating dinner service, Bavette la Boucherie announced that Jan. 17 will be its last day.
• Milwaukee will add another restaurant Jan. 20 with the opening of CASSIS, a more casual concept from Birch owners Kyle and Meghan Knall.