Birmingham’s Best Eats: Cole porter — taking home slaw from Zoës Kitchen
By Contributor
The marinated slaw from Zoës Kitchen pairs
cabbage with feta. Photo by John-Bryan Hopkins.
By John-Bryan Hopkins
Nothing says Southern at a family get-together, potluck or cookout like a bowl of slaw sitting alongside deviled eggs and baked beans. Coleslaw seems to be a common thread that pulls these meals together.
(“Coleslaw” is an anglicization of the Dutch word koolsla, a shortening of koolsalade, meaning “cabbage salad.”)
Unfortunately, I’ve never been a fan, being more of a meat-and-potatoes guy when it comes to Southern food. (Side dishes are those “other things” littering the table.) The first thing that comes to mind is the milky, mushy, chopped cabbage/carrot concoction — usually too sweet for my taste.
That was until I stumbled upon the marinated slaw at Zoës Kitchen a couple of years ago. My opinions completely changed in a single bite. The fresh, thinly sliced white cabbage paired with feta cheese and a little olive oil makes for a wonderful combination.
Soon, slaw went from a rare side dish to a staple in the refrigerator. It is not uncommon to find me visiting the Birmingham-based chain to replenish my stockpile of quart-size containers ($6.95).
Choosing the right side dish can make or break a meal. I haven’t found many things that don’t go well with this slaw. Zoës’ version hits it out of the ballpark and onto my plate every time.
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Zoës Kitchen
- Five locations in the Birmingham area
- Zoeskitchen.com
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Also:
- Bhamdining.com capsule on Zoës Kitchen.
- Southern Foodways Alliance interview with Zoë Cassimus, co-founder of Zoës Kitchen.
- Magic City Mom review of Zoës Kitchen.
- Bhamwiki: Zoës Kitchen.
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Birmingham’s John-Bryan Hopkins loves talking about food facts, their origins and, most of all, what food means to us.
His site/blog is Foodimentary (@Foodimentary).
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