Editor's note: The long Thanksgiving weekend is a perfect time to catch up on the week's headlines. Our most-read stories include news of a popular ramen shop's shutter, a Netflix foodie star coming to town, a roundup of holiday pop-up bars, and more. Need weekend plans? Our Weekend Event Planner can help.

1. Houston ramen shop known for Asian whisky will shutter after 11 years. A ramen shop that’s been a favorite of Houston hospitality workers will soon serve its final bowl of noodles. Ninja Ramen will close at the end of December, owners Christopher Huang tells CultureMap.

2. Beard Award-winning chef and family dish on their new Houston restaurant. On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega, his wife and business partner Tracy Vaught, and their daughter Sophia Ortega join CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss H-Town Restaurant Group.

3. Netflix foodie Phil Rosenthal brings tasty Texas tour to Houston. Somebody give Phil Rosenthal a few Houston lunch suggestions. The sitcom writer-turned-food personality just announced a whirlwind tour through Texas, including a stop at Houston's 713 Music Hall on January 24, 2026.

Emilia's Havana offers a retro spin on the holiday bar, with the 1950s-inspired speakeasy decked out in tinsel and trees. Photo by Hasan Yousef

4. 14 holiday pop-up bars serving over-the-top festive cheer in Houston. There’s so much more to a holiday bar pop-up than tossing a candy cane in a cocktail. We want shimmer, we want lights, we want tinsel — and Houston’s restaurants and bars are more than happy to impress. Here’s where to find the city’s most joyful holiday transformations.

5. Emotional night uplifts mental health at UTHealth Houston's $1.8M gala. At a time when mental health is finally getting its long-overdue moment in the spotlight, more than 200 supporters gathered at the Thompson Hotel for UTHealth Houston’s 2025 Mission in Action gala — an evening as elegant as it was emotionally resonant.