Zeke's Smoke House Review . . . . .

Who ever gets the chance to take advantage of this limited time $9.95 Build Your Own BBQ Platter special at Zeke's must do so before you miss out! It is a very nice sized meal for the price. It doesn't quite stuff you (which is a good and bad thing). So it leaves you plenty of room to try one of their appetizers (which I unfortunately did not do this time around) or some of their corn bread.

One word of advice for the special, Drama's wife ordered an all chicken platter of the pulled chicken and the bbq chicken. She warns to pass on the pulled chicken, as it was a little dry as compared to the bbq chicken.

An added bonus of Zeke's is their specialty soda selection. It might be a little pricey and sold by the bottle only, but it provides the meal with some nostalgia.

Another item you definitely need to order and share with whom ever you are dining with is the kettle chips. They serve them warm to the table, and they go great with one of the bbq sauces drizzled on them or if you decide to dip them in some sauce. They are not oily or greasy either. They are definitely a must have!

I look forward to going back to Zeke's to try out some of their other menu offerings. You should definitely give it a try yourself.

Zeke's Kettle Chips . . . . .

The kettle chips are pretty damn good here. And they serve them to you nice and warm so they are extra tasty when you first eat them. Nice touch.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:50 PM)
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*Update* (8:56 PM)
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Meal Is Finished . . . . .

Food is now all eaten. Feeling pretty good now. Complete meal review with pix when I get in front of my pc.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:46 PM)
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Thanks A Lot Man . . . . .

Thanks a lot Drama. Just tell ur wife that I was ur cig connect (during those times u were trying to quit) when u were drunk at clubs. Good man. Haha . . . . .

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:42 PM)
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The Food So Far Is . . . . .

The link is very flavorful but not spicy. I would like it spicier. The pulled pork is boring by itself, but a lot better with the Zeke's "hot" bbq sauce on it.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:39 PM)
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Reminiscing About That One Time At Norms . . . . .

Drama is telling his wife about the "Norm's spaghetti" story. I think I just got my misc. memory for monday!

Blog post from my crackberry.

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Zeke's Mustard BBQ Sauce . . . . .

It doesn't have a mustardy taste per se`, but it's not terrible either. You have to try it for yourself to see if you like it. It did not make a fan out of me.

Blog post from my crackberry.

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Zeke's Hot BBQ Sauce . . . . .

Not really hot. It seems to have a chipotle flavor to it. It's a bolder sauce though. But it definitely needs some heat to make it better.

Blog post from my crackberry.

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Zeke's Sweet BBQ Sauce . . . . .

This is a very good sauce. Definitely would like to have a bottle of this stuff at home for future use.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:29 PM)
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Available Table Side BBQ Sauces . . . . .

Zeke's has 3 table side bbq sauces. Sweet, hot and mustard bbq.

Blog post from my crackberry.

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Top - Mustard BBQ

Middle - Sweet BBQ

Bottom - Hot BBQ

Time To Grub . . . . .

Food is served! Time to eat! The food looks good. We're off to a good start here!

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:24 PM)
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A Nice Observation . . . . .

Drama - This is like being at work, except this is in person. (Note: Drama, Orion and I keep in contact on AIM at work)

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:23 PM)
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A Deja Vu Moment A Few Years Later . . . . .

Drama - This is just like old times. It's good for all of us to together like this - every few years. Haha . . . . .

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:20 PM)
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My Build Your Own BBQ Platter Order . . . . .

My lunch special ordered - pulled pork and hot links with baked beans and mashed potatoes. I can't wait to taste what I ordered!

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:17 PM)
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*Update* (8:52 PM)
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The More The Merrier . . . . .

Our good friend Drama, his wife and their kid are also joining us today for lunch. It's nice to see him and his family. It has been a while.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:15 PM)
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No Freakin' Way . . . . .

They have the Mexican version of Coke here, served by the bottle! I'll take 2 please!

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:12 PM)
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Inside Of Zeke's . . . . .

We have just been seated at our table. This restaurant is cozy in size.

Blog post from my crackberry.

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The inside of Zeke's.


The view of Santa Monica Blvd from our table.

Destination Arrival . . . . .

We have arrived at the parking structure for Zeke's. There's always a line into a parking structure in L.A. What ever happened to good ol' open parking lots?

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:08 PM)
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This Is Highly Unusual But I'm Not Complaining . . . . .

Traffic into Downtown L.A. & into West Hollywood is actually light for a sat. Its helpful that USC's game is in Arizona today. BTW, this is Orion posting this as CEB maneuver's the road.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:07 PM)
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Let's Roll Out, Destination Zeke's . . . . .

The road trip to Zeke's is on now. Damn, I'm getting pretty hungry. Hope traffic into West Hollywood isn't too bad.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:04 PM)
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You Know I'm Blogging Something . . . . .

Orion comes out of the lab and see's me texting on my phone and starts laughing. He knows he can assume I'm replying to a text or I'm blogging something. I'm so predictable sometimes.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:02 PM)
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At Orion's Lab . . . . .

Outside of Orion's lab chillen. Its been a while since I've been here. So long in fact that I missed his street by accident. Oopps. Haha.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (7:01 PM)
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That's Going To Be A Nice Ticket If I Get Caught . . . . .

I really shouldn't be blogging while driving. Damn cali laws.

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (6:59 PM)
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Hold On Man . . . . .

CEB to Orion - on the fwy almost there

Blog post from my crackberry.

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Where U At . . . . .

Orion to CEB - Where u at? I'm hungry!

Blog post from my crackberry.

*Update* (6:54 PM)
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Today's Dining Adventure (11/7/09) . . . . .

Orion just called me up to let me know he is ready to roll out on today's adventure. So I will now be on my way out the door to begin today's adventure as soon as I finish this post. But before I go, I will let you know about today's dining adventure.

Today, the Girls, Greed and Glory bloggers will be heading out to try the "Build Your Own BBQ Platter" special at Zeke's Smoke House in West Hollywood. I blogged about this dining special earlier in the week here.


7100 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90046
T: 323.850.9353
www.ZekesSmokeHouse.com

I very excited about dining on some hopefully great bbq food and look forward to blogging about the experience and more importantly, about the food that I choose to eat. Pictures of course will be added once I get in front of my pc.

The Golf Showdown In Shanghai Is Set For Tonite . . . . .

Watch final-round coverage of the WGC-HSBC Champions on Golf Channel - LIVE Saturday (11/7/09) at 10 p.m. (ET)

"Mickelson and Woods will be in the final group Sunday for the first time since 2005, that famous “Duel at Doral,” when Woods rallied from a two-shot deficit in the final round to win."

(GolfChannel)

Even James Bond Would Be Envious Of This Boat . . . . .

"Superbad Anti-Whaling Stealth Boat"

"Earthrace, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's new high-tech anti-whaling powerboat, rests in Auckland Harbor, New Zealand, ahead of its deployment for Perth, and then the Southern Ocean. The 80-foot trimaran features paint that reportedly deflects radar, allowing the vessel to approach whaling ships virtually unseen. (Until, of course, it is seen, and "engages" the whalers, which is part of its mission.) Leaving Perth on December 7, Earthrace will join the Society's ship Steve Irwin on a three-month voyage protesting Japan's industrial whaling program."

(Life)

There's No Bulletproof Evidence To Dispute The Statement About Him . . . . .

"CEO of the decade: Steve Jobs"

"(Fortune magazine) -- How's this for a gripping corporate story line: Youthful founder gets booted from his company in the 1980s, returns in the 1990s, and in the following decade survives two brushes with death, one securities-law scandal, an also-ran product lineup, and his own often unpleasant demeanor to become the dominant personality in four distinct industries, a billionaire many times over, and CEO of the most valuable company in Silicon Valley.

The past decade in business belongs to Jobs. What makes that simple statement even more remarkable is that barely a year ago it seemed likely that any review of his accomplishments would be valedictory. But by deeds and accounts, Jobs is back.

In the past 10 years alone he has radically and lucratively reordered three markets -- music, movies, and mobile telephones -- and his impact on his original industry, computing, has only grown.

Remaking any one business is a career-defining achievement; four is unheard-of. Think about that for a moment. Henry Ford altered the course of the nascent auto industry. PanAm's Juan Trippe invented the global airline. Conrad Hilton internationalized American hospitality.

Yet for all his hanging out with copywriters and industrial designers and musicians -- and despite his anticorporate attire -- make no mistake: Jobs is all about business. He may not pay attention to customer research, but he works slavishly to make products customers will buy.

He's a visionary, but he's grounded in reality too, closely monitoring Apple's various operational and market metrics. He isn't motivated by money, says friend Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle (ORCL, Fortune 500). Rather, Jobs is understandably driven by a visceral ardor for Apple, his first love (to which he returned after being spurned -- proof that you can go home again) and the vehicle through which he can be both an arbiter of cool and a force for changing the world."

Complete article here (CNN)

Will Cell Phone Users Void The Droid . . . . .

"Why the Droid won't save Motorola"

"NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Motorola is obviously hoping that, to twist a famous Obi-Wan Kenobi quote from "Star Wars," its heavily hyped new phone is the Droid people are looking for.

And the jury's still out on just how successful the Droid and other Motorola phones will be.

Samuel Wilson, an analyst with JMP Securities, said that Motorola's reliance on Google could backfire. Wilson said that one reason Apple and RIMM have been able to do as well as they have is because they don't have to compromise.

"The problem with Android phones is this: How do you gain a competitive advantage when you rely on somebody else for a key piece of the system?" Wilson said. "Every successful smartphone vendor controls the hardware and software."

Sue conceded that competition is going to be tough and that Motorola also has to convince consumers to forget some of Motorola's flops from the past, such as the widely panned Rokr.

He wrote that although it's good news that Motorola has finally ended years of "bad habits of coloring products pink and neglecting the user interface," it's not going to be easy for the company to make a huge splash in the latest round of phone wars.

"It's a crowded space for smartphones, and consumer fickleness will mean short product cycles and Jabba the Hut like competition," he wrote."

(CNN)

When You Say It Like That It Just Makes It Sound Worse . . . . .

"Landing a job like getting into Harvard"

"During the current recession, workers who are "part time for economic reasons" have grown from 4.6 million to 9.3million.

Adding part-time workers to the number of officially unemployed and the discouraged workers, as labor market expert Leo Hindery, Jr., has observed, results in a rise in the real unemployment rate to 19.2 percent, or 30.6 million people.

The odds of any one of these 30 million securing one of the 2.4 million full-time jobs available is 8 percent, the same as the admissions rate of the Ivy League gold standard, Harvard University.

The 3.5 million jobs the stimulus package aims to provide are insufficient. To get the job growth the country needs, the White House should push for sustained infrastructure investment, cutting corporate taxes, and increasing access to credit for small businesses. We still have thirty million workers in the United States who are unemployed, underemployed or discouraged and they face the same odds of finding a job as a high school senior applying to the world's most elite university."

The Rarely Talked About But A Very Expensive Part Of Fame . . . . .

"Celebs shell out big bucks for security"

(CNN) -- "Celebrities are always trying to build walls around themselves, literally and figuratively, and those walls cost money.

New York-based security expert and retired New York Police Detective Thomas Werther owns Sector Mike Security systems and spends his days protecting musicians, actors, actresses and sports stars. He explained the breakdown of expenses for a day of security for the average high-profile individual.

"For one day, if you need one truck with a driver and three security agents, you are looking at $4,000 a day, and use that four days a week, then you can easily see spending $20,000 a week. For a guy like 50 Cent, that seems like a modest expense, especially if you are factoring in home security," Werther explained.

Aaron Cohen, a former member of Israel's counterterrorist special forces unit and now the director of IMS Security in Hollywood, works with numerous high-profile individuals and families, including supermodel Kate Moss. Cohen says security is one of the highest single expenditures a celebrity will make in a year.

Those costs, according to Cohen, break down to half a million dollars just for residential protection and surveillance that would include 24-hour security monitoring with a constantly streaming network of cameras. An additional half-million in costs can be incurred as a celebrity travels, paying each security guard between $500 and $1,000 a day while away from home.

That cost can rise by a premium of $20,000 a month the second a celebrity stalker enters the equation.

"It is at least a $20,000 retainer in order to boost security and add a proactive investigation to stop a stalker," Cohen said. "You will also spend that if you are the kind of celebrity who is constantly dogged by paparazzi."

(CNN)

NBA Notes After The First Week Of The Regular Season . . . . .

The Celtics finally lost their first game of the season last night to the Phoenix Suns by a score of 110 - 103. They were the last remaining undefeated team in the entire NBA until their loss last night.

Which begs me to ponder: How come there is only talk about the Lakers possibly matching the 1995 - 1996 Chicago Bulls record setting 72 wins in the regular season?

What about the talk about this years Celtics possibly matching it? Currently after first 7 games of the season, they are 6 - 1. If they maintain a 6:1 win/loss ratio the entire season (of course this is all speculation), they could end up with 71 wins to only 11 loses. The Lakers after their first 6 games this season are 5 - 1. If they maintain a 5:1 win/loss ratio the entire season (of course this is all speculation), they could end up with only 69 wins to only 13 loses, falling a few games short of the record.

On the flip side of this, the New Jersey Nets are the only remaining team in the NBA yet to win a game. They are currently 0 - 6. Tonite they play the Celtics, and lets assume they lose once again and their record goes to 0 - 7. Their next game after tonite is not until Wednesday, when they play the 76ers, who they only to last night by 3 points, 97 - 94. Let's assume they win that game, making their record 1 - 7. At a 1:7 win/loss ratio over an 82 game season (speculatively speaking of course), they would barely squeak out 10 wins to 72 losses, barely missing tying the worst ever regular season record of only 9 wins and 73 losses set by the 1972 Philedelphia 76ers. Let's hope that there isn't any talk of any current NBA franchise even coming close to that horrendous record this season.

NBA season standings (ESPN)

The Road Trip To The 2010 Final Four Begins In Just Over 48 Hours . . . . .

The Road Trip to the 2010 Final Four in Indianapolis will officially begin for all division 1 college basketball teams on Monday November 9, 2009 at 7pm EST/4pm PST. The Road Trip will leave from 4 different starting points throughout the country. Those starting points make up the regional games of the 2009 - 2010 season opening 2K Sports Coaches vs Cancer Classic Tournament. The championship game for the 2K Sports Coaches vs Cancer Classic Tournament will be held on November 20 at 7pm EST/4pm PST at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The first pair of games scheduled for tip off Monday night at 7pm EST/4pm PST are Florida International University and new head coach Isiah Thomas traveling to Chapel Hill to face the defending NCAA champion and #4 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and #17 ranked Ohio St. hosting Alcorn State.

The second pair of games scheduled to tip off Monday night at 11pm EST/8pm PST are #12 California hosting Murray St. and an embarrassed #25 Syracuse team, who lost an exhibition game (thank god it was an exhibition or the humiliation from an in season game loss would have really sucked) to division 2 Le Moyne, hosting Albany.

(NCAA)

College Football Games (11/7/09) . . . . .

This weekend is another action packed week in college football. Here are some of the games that feature some marquee match ups.

#9 LSU vs #3 Alabama.
- You know that anytime the 2 SEC teams in the BCS top 10 face off, the loser's BCS Bowl hopes and possible BCS National Championship hopes take a huge hit. The SEC has definitely earned their reputation the past few years as the toughest conference in the nation to compete in.

Connecticut vs #5 Cincinnati
- Can Uconn spoil Cincinnati's current unbeaten season with an upset win? And in doing so, the win will definitely boost the moral of the Uconn team and give themselves some more positive mojo in the process after what they have endured the past few weeks. There is a lot riding on the line for both teams.

#16 Ohio St. vs #11 Penn St.
- Much like LSU/Alabama game in the SEC, these 2 schools are currently the cream of the crop in the Big Ten conference. Who ever wants to challenge for the conference championship and the automatic bid to the Rose Bowl must knock off either school to do so. Can Terrell Pryor silence his critics for the time being with an incredible game at Happy Valley today?

#12 USC vs Arizona St.
- Poor Arizona St., what a time to face the Trojans. The Sun Devils are a struggling team facing a pissed off USC team after the Trojans lost at Oregon last week that pretty much eliminated their chances for an 8th consecutive Pac-10 title.

Navy vs #22 Notre Dame
- The Midshipmen are having another good season this year, and with a win in South Bend, they can really put the Irish fans on edge again about Charlie Weis' future as the head coach of the storied program. What can Jimmy Clausen do in this game to further pad his resume as a potential candidate for the Heisman Trophy?

Saturday game scoreboard/schedule (ESPN)

Today's Dining Adventure Teaser (11/7/09) . . . . .

Good morning everyone. Today I have a very special adventure planned. And I will be joined by Girls, Greed and Glory contributing blogger Orion on today's adventure. Orion and I will also be joined today by our blog follower Drama.

What adventure do we have in store to blog about today? Well, the 3 of us will be venturing out on our version of Guy Fieri's Food Network Show, Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives. What dining establishment will we be visiting today? Stay tuned!