Zekes BBQ Smoke House

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I have to be honest. I went to Zekes years ago when they first opened up and I wasn’t very impressed. The food was okay but I felt like it was on par with fast food. As you can imagine I never went back. That is until now. The truth is that  I’ve been hearing good things about Zekes BBQ and I thought well, I gotta go back and give them a second chance. Let me tell you something. I’m glad that I did.

First up I have to say. How cool is it to sit outside in Janruary with shorts and a T-Shirt on and have a nice time. I think it’s great! What else is great? Well let me tell you. I had some sort of sliced pork sandwich that was put on a french roll, melted cheese with peppers on top and then of course a small bowl of dipping juice. It was so good! In fact it was better then good! It was great! However I have to tell you what was FANTASTIC… The onion rings. They were done just how I like them. The coating was a batter which was so smooth and easy to eat! So glad that I ordered them and not the french fries for a change! Way to go me!

baby back ribs from Zekes BBQ in GlendaleThe other two people in my party ordered the baby back ribs and the pulled pork sandwich. Both said that they were very good and I have to admit that I tried the baby back ribs and they were very flavorful and juicy. I fully enjoyed my meal. Had a great time with great service. I completely encourage everyone to try it out for themselves and let us know what you think!

 

You can find Zekes at 2209 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020    The telephone number is 818-957-7045, I believe that you can call ahead and they’ll have take out ready for you.

According to the website their hours are:

 

Monday-Thursday 11-9Friday & Saturday 11-10Sunday 11:30-9Saturday & Sunday 8-11:30 Breakfast

 

You can find a link their menu here but it doesn’t look like the same menu I ordered from. I have a feeling that they have updated the menu but not the website. Thats okay just understand that you might not find exactly what you are looking for on them menu.

Cole Slaw Wars!

So earlier this week my wife sent me to Ralphs Grocery Store on Verdugo to pick up some coleslaw. She had planned a great meal of shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and that of course calls for some tasty Coleslaw. Well, wouldn’t you know it I got to the Deli Counter and low and behold they were all out of coleslaw! Whats a intrepid husband to do?

Make my own Coleslaw of course? So I did. Sorta .

You see I went over to the produce section and I was looking at the carrots, cabbage etc when I noticed that Dole was selling Coleslaw Mix in a bag. Yup, thats right. Coleslaw in a bag! In fact they were selling to different types. So I did want any other coleslaw hunting husband would do, i bought both! Crazy? Perhaps but thats how the Dads roll in Glendale!

Coleslaw Wars Dole Creamy Dressing

Coleslaw Wars Creamy Dressing

The first one was the more expensive. It was about $4.50 for the complete mix. It included a large bag of shredded cabbage, carrots and other coleslaw veggie stuff, and it came with a pouch of coleslaw dressing. When I took it home it was pretty easy to assemble. I just emptied the bag of cabbage and veggies into a bowl, tore open the dressing and mixed it together. It took me less then 5 minutes to have it ready and in the fridge chiling (cuz I do like my Cole Slaw chilly).

Dole Coleslaw Wars

Dole Coleslaw Wars

The second choice was cheaper. Or was it? So this second bag only had the shredded cabbage, carrots and other “raw materials.” There was only raw veggie type stuff and no pouch of dressing. However there was a recipe on the back of the bag and I decided that I was going to try to make it! So I did!!!

Coleslaw Making Prep

Coleslaw Making Prep

The truth is that I was going to include the recipe here for everyone to try but I forgot and I threw away the bag! Oops! However I can remember most of what was in it (but not the proportions).

It had:

  • Sour Cream
  • Sugar
  • Lemon Juice
  • Mustard Stuff
  • Celery Stuff
  • Salt and Pepper to taste.
The thing about this less expensive bag was that while it was only $1.49 for the bag I still had to buy all the ingredients. Dollar out of the pocket was about the same but I did still have lots of ingredients left over. It’s true that in our house we always can use more sour cream and sugar the other stuff I’m not so sure about.
Okay, okay. I know get to the point. I know that the big question was… How was it! I have to say that both were pretty good. Our survey pool consisted of 5 adults and two kids. The kids tried it and weren’t really interested. So they don’t count.
While everyone was amazed that I made the Coleslaw dressing and they said that it tasted okay they thought I over did the mustard stuff and that it was a bit too spicy for their taste.
Coleslaw Wars- Coleslaw in a bowl
The more popular choice by far was the pre made dressing in a pouch! 
Coleslaw Wars- Coleslaw in a bowlWhile I have to admit that $4.5o seems a lot to me to get shredded cabbage and carrots with some dressing I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that we had enough of both items left over to mix together and thats when everyone fell in love with the coleslaw. Which one is better is hard to say but it was definitly fun to try out both recipes and have a taste test!
Oh and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Dole website that deals with coleslaw praises the positive health benefit! I’ve copied it below!

Cole Slaw Nutrition Benefits

  • A Naturally Fat Free Food
  • A Naturally Cholesterol Free Food
  • A Naturally Very Low Sodium Food
  • While many factors affect heart disease, diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of this disease
  • Development of cancer depends on many factors. A diet low in total fat may reduce the risk of some cancers
  • Diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, a disease associated with many factors
  • Excellent Source of Vitamin A
  • Excellent Source of Vitamin C
  • Excellent Source of Vitamin K
Where do you get your coleslaw? Whats your favorite? Got a recipe to share?

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