thursdays are a good day to catch up on Houston food news. Here's what you need to know this week.

• We look forward to hanging out with all of you at the Gumbo Smackdown this weekend. Come hungry. 
• Reminder: The 18th Annual Fruit Tree Sale is this weekend, and it's the biggest in the country. Tree-t yourself. 
• Japan's Jinya Ramen has five outposts in Houston, and now they're heading to a new location: the court room. According to the Houston Chronicle, Jinya has filed suit against a few local ramen spots—Ramen Fun, Mikoto, and Atsumi—claiming that they've stolen their intellectual property. Did we not learn anything from Saved By The Bell's "Screech's Spaghetti Sauce" episode? 
• Snooze in the Heights opens on January 24. Don't act like you're not excited. Hat tip to Eater Houston for this one.  
• May we all be as happy as the owner of Bar Bleu the next time we walk away from an unhappy situation in our life. You can view his goodbye to his neighbors here.
• We now know where Dat Dog is going to land in Houston. According to Eater Houston, they'll be opening their first Houston location near Rice University. Dat Dog hopes to open by the end of summer, which means you've still got time to figure out how you'll top your first dog. 
• Don't let your Sunday Funday brunch plans get ruined by street closures this weekend. Here's a map of all the roads impacted by the Houston Marathon this weekend. Want to cheer on the runners with your favorite friends and strangers? Urban Eats is opening at 7 a.m. on Sunday. Rumor has it there are free coffee refills.   
• Do you like Girl Scout Cookies? You might want to check out Just Desserts 2018, a dessert made from Girl Scout Cookies competition, taking place on January 18. As a judge, I'm not out here trying to influence anyone's baking decisions, but I'm a known shortbread fan. Just saying.