Thursday’s matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center was highly entertaining. The game eventually went to overtime after a back-and-forth battle over 48 minutes, and Luka Doncic put together an incredibly impressive performance. Doncic finished with 41 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds in 41 minutes, and he contributed a memorable highlight with a behind-the-head pass in the third quarter. However, one of the takeaways from the evening had nothing to do with the on-court result and the eventual 129-125 road for Dallas.
With 1:40 on the clock and the Mavericks leading by nine in overtime, Kevin Durant stepped to the free throw line. Just as he was about to release a shot, though, a cup was launched from the stands toward the court and in the general direction of Doncic.
Fortunately, the cup did not hit Doncic or anyone else, and it may have been closer to Nets big man Nic Claxton, who was at the scorer’s table getting set to check in. With that lucky break, this incident did not escalate in any way, and there was simply a delay for clean-up and general confusion.
As details potentially emerge, perhaps the fan’s actions will come into clearer view but, regardless, this is the kind of thing that could be quite dangerous. All parties are fortunate as a result, and the Mavericks can leave Brooklyn in a positive mood after claiming a nice win.
A few weeks ago (days before the Community movie news), Joel McHale went up Estes Park, Colorado’s Mount Via Ferrata to have a five-star meal in a promo pop-up centered around Certified Angus Beef, reasoning that, “If there’s a platform stuck to the side of a cliff, why not have a steak dinner there?” Prior to his ascent up rebar stairs and before he repelled down to a portaledge for a meal prepared by Chef Ashley Breneman, I Zoomed in, armed with sarcasm, questions about cannibalism (McHale has never tried the most forbidden of meats, for the record), and dreadful steak takes. We’re talking well-done meat by blow-torch and ketchup on a steak.
I’m lucky I wasn’t there in person, the Community and Stargirl actor might have cut my tether.
The ensuing phone interview wasn’t merely a chance to traumatize McHale, though. It’s also the latest effort by Uproxx to bring you Comedians In Zoom Chats Talking About Food They Like and, in this case, some meaningful dialogue about cooking and steak, topics McHale is very passionate about whether he’s up a mountain or in his own kitchen.
Do you get to meet the cow before something like this?
Oh, I think I met the cow last year. We went to Kauai together. It was great. We had a great time. Went to Hanalei.
Sad that it ends this way.
Right? I’m going to be like, “I cannot wait to meet you again.” Do you eat a lot of steak, Jason?
I do eat a lot of steak.
What’s your favorite steakhouse?
Morton’s or Ruth’s Chris.
Very good.
What’s your favorite steakhouse?
Well, it was Adam Perry Lang’s steakhouse in Hollywood, but during the pandemic, it sadly shut down. So now I like going to Curtis Stone’s steakhouse called Gwen. I still think CUT is great in Beverly Hills by Puck. And in Seattle, I go to El Gaucho and Canlis and Matt’s in the Market. Boy, if I’m in New York, I go to Cote. It’s a Korean steakhouse. But if I’m at home, I have like five barbecues, and my wife is now wondering if I’m a full-on hoarder.
I cook a lot of steak and eat a lot of the steak. And so, you start with high-quality stuff. If you have that you’re already like 90% there, just as long as you don’t ruin it in the cook.
I like a bone-in ribeye or a bone-in New York strip, anything with the bone in, or a bone-in filet for that matter because when you cook them, the flavor of the bone seeps into the meat. And you can cook them a few different ways. Everyone always orders filet because it’s the leanest cut, and I think it also just has this reputation of being the best thing. I grew up with flank steak and my mom would marinate it with honey and soy sauce and green onions, and then some pepper flakes and let that marinate overnight and then we’d throw it on the barbecue. And it was some of the tastiest meat you ever had. So preparation, obviously everyone gets intimidated by it, but I think it’s just like practicing a sport.
The more you cook your steak to a way you like it, the better you’re going to get at it.
So, I eat steak sometimes with ketchup. I just need to get your reaction to that. I am a terrible person, but is that the defining thing that makes me a terrible person?
You are. Here’s why. Okay. There are versions of ketchup.
Let me tell you that the first time I went to a really nice steakhouse, I asked for ketchup with a nice New York strip, and I’ve never had someone stab me in the throat with their eyes before.
I would’ve just stabbed you in the throat with a knife and put you out of your misery. It’s pretty sacrilegious. It’s the same way where a beautiful Chicago-style, Vienna beef hot dog, they never put ketchup on it. And I’m not saying ketchup is a terrible condiment. It’s perfectly fine for something like french fries, because it’s such a powerful condiment. It overpowers almost everything you’re eating.
This is true.
If you put it on a beautifully made steak with complex flavors, all you’re going to taste is the ketchup. And it would be putting a lot of hot sauce on something, where you’re like, “Well, my mouth’s on fire, and I’m not sure what I just ate.” I love hot sauce, but in moderation. So with your ketchup, if there’s a very mild version of the ketchup next to the French fries, I’m going to say, yeah, you can use that about 5% of the time.
The reason why you buy quality steak, like Certified Angus Beef, is because of the complexity of the flavors of the meat. And so salt and pepper really is all you need, maybe a couple of rubs that have a few other like paprika and stuff like that.
So you don’t go in for the big, like the garlic butter and the whole thing on top and everything?
It’s putting a hat on a hat for that. So there are a thousand other great sauces you can put on steak that illuminate the flavors. So I mean butter is fine, but I mean, a lot of people cook with that. But really, for the next five steaks, don’t use ketchup. When you ask for how you want your steak to be cooked, what do you say?
Okay, so I’ve gotten a little bit better on this because it used to be…
Are you going to say well done?
I sure am. I used to. I believe some places won’t do it. (McHale gets up from his chair in disgust) Joel has left the chat.
No, I have not left the chat. I’m just kind of taking a moment.
I was young. I was stupid.
You walked into a Morton’s Steakhouse and were like, “I’ll take a well-done New York strip and half a cup of ketchup.” What is your choice of drink with that? Do you have a boba tea?
Soda pop! They should have vetted me before this, huh?
No, no, no, no. I’m glad we’re doing this. It’s an intervention.
I will say this, medium is the most difficult flavor. It’s the most difficult temperature to achieve because it’s easy to do medium rare because you just sear that thing off, and you can put it back in the oven if you need a little bit more. Once it gets to medium, it’s only there for a few seconds before it’s ruined, and it can be delicious and perfect if it’s perfect all the way through, but it is a very high bar for a chef to achieve.
The next time you go to a steakhouse, this is what I’d like you to do, just go in and go, “Have the chef cook it how exactly they want it. How they would cook it.” That’s all you do. I’m sure they’re going to have a homemade A1 steak sauce, even a bearnaise, which can be pretty heavy but also very tasty, not nearly as loud as ketchup, or something like that. Mine eyes have seen the coming of the steak. That’s what it’ll be. You’ll be like, “Wow.”
I feel like you’re taking me under your wing here. I feel like I’m now your mentee.
Did you think we would talk this much about steak? You can ask about other things.
What level of done-ness is the script for the Community movie? Medium, medium-well?
It’s still in the fridge right now.
You can see Joel McHale in episodes of ‘Stargirl’ on the CW, in an eventual ‘Community’ movie, and in a steakhouse near you.
Savage Salvation stars Jack Huston (who played Robert Kennedy Jr. in The Irishman) as a recovering opioid addict out for revenge against the entire drug-dealing apparatus after his fiancé (Willa Fitzgerald) dies from a bad batch. Robert De Niro plays a local cop who’s follow that trail of revenge to stop it, but he doesn’t seem all that averse to shoving his thumb in some bullet wounds, either. As a bonus, John Malkovich plays the fiancé’s dad who seems 100% against all the vengeance, and Quavo from Migos plays a ruthless drug dealer called Coyote.
Directed by Irishman producer Randall Emmett and originally called Wash Me In The River, this B-movie thriller has hung out on the shelf for almost two years. With the caveat that trailers never tell the full story, there’s something that feels really leaden about this one. The action feels slow, the dialogue feels clunky, and it seems like the aspiration was there to be something akin to Hell Or High Water (including that poetic original title) but now we’ve got something that deserves to be called Savage Salvation.
The film hits theaters and streaming December 2nd, just in time for your dad to watch it after Christmas brunch.
Oscar Isaac is officially living all our dreams. He may have been doing that before by starring in a Star War and embodying one of the weirder Marvel superheroes, but now he’s living another one of all our dreams: making a comic book with his childhood buddies.
Head Wounds: Sparrow features a detective with a permanent bullet wound in his head. The idea sprung from creator Robert Johnson after a cancer diagnosis left him with what he felt was an “invisible wound.” Johnson met Isaac back in high school in the sleepy hamlet of Lantana, Florida, alongside John Alvey. According to a feature in The Hollywood Reporter, the trio formed a band and made movies together, building the foundation for a life-long friendship. Now, they’re making comics together with the backing of Legendary Entertainment. Johnson and Alvey both have story credits, with veteran comic writer Brian Buccellato and artist Christian Ward in the drivers’ seats.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“A detective with a higher purpose feels the pain and wears the wounds of those he’s failed to protect, and there’s only one way to stop the bleeding: vengeance. As a divine battle of good and evil between Angels and Demons rages around him, can this crooked detective follow the straight-and-narrow to seek justice, or will he just save his own wounded skin as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance?”
Obviously, the natural question is whether or not this is bound for a film or series adaptation. The answer is a diplomatic: not yet. But if anything had an on-ramp to production, it’s this. Now, all Isaac has left to do is put out a ska album, and he’ll have achieved all of his high school dreams.
In The Calling, Jeff Wilbusch plays Avraham Avraham, a detective with a deep and abiding spirituality that plays into his ability to do his job. It also comes into conflict with it, tested by a shocking case that starts out as a routine investigation. It looks like NYPD Blue and True Detective had a love child, so it’s a bit of shock to see that it’ll stream on Peacock.
With TV drama royalty David E. Kelley as showrunner and Barry Levinson in the director’s chair, The Calling has heavy hitters bringing prestige to the standard cop show concept. The series also stars Juliana Canfield (Y: The Last Man) as Avraham’s partner Janine Harris, and Karen Robinson as Captain Kathleen Davies in a very different role from what she delivered on Schitt’s Creek. She looks particularly powerful here, and it’s great to see a production let her spread her wings.
The trailer has a haunting vibe to it, promising something a little off-kilter from the usual procedural fare. It’s based on the novels by Dror Mishani, the first of which has already been loosely adapted into a French movie called Black Tide which starred Vincent Cassel as a boozy detective instead of a religious one. Mishani currently has three Avraham novels, so if the show is a hit, they’ve got a lot to draw from.
All eight episodes of The Calling hit Peacock on November 10th, ready to be binged.
Wizkid‘s fifth studio album, More Love, Less Ego is almost here. Today, the Afro-fusion star took to social media to announce the much-anticipated album. In addition to the announcement, Wizkid has shared a new single called “Money & Love.”
His latest continues a string of hot, dance-ready anthems, over seductive, thumping beats.
Over the years, Wizkid has put in work behind the scenes, collaborating with artists like Drake, Justin Bieber, and Beyoncé. Last year, his track “Essence,” which featured Tems, proved to be one of the buzziest tracks of the year. Many have credited Wizkid for opening the door for Afro-fusion tracks to enter the pop landscape in the US, however, Wizkid revealed in an interview with Apple Music 1 that he believes it was simply a matter of luck.
“I don’t see it like that,” he said. “I don’t think I’m the first through it. I don’t know what I did, but it just kicked the door open. I feel like everyone’s about to come through right now. There’s about to be loads of records from Africa
Check out “Money & Love” above, and the cover art for More Love, Less Ego below.
Fawaz Ibrahim for Fawaz Concept
More Love, Less Ego is out 11/3 via RCA. Pre-save it here.
According to Deadline, Jason Bateman and Jude Law are developing a limited series called Black Rabbit for Netflix. Hot off an Emmy win for his directing work on Ozark, Bateman will helm the series from King Richard screenwriter Zach Baylin and newcomer Kate Susman. The project is based on an original idea and there are no plot details public just yet. Spooky!
It’s not a done deal yet, but it’s no surprise why Netflix would want to team with Bateman again after all of Ozark‘s success. They’ve also hired him to direct the movie Dark Wire about the time the FBI created a fictional telecom company that provided services for tons of gangs and led to thousands of arrests. Bateman has fully embraced the thriller genre. Is that a clue to what Black Rabbit might entail?
For now, we can file this one under having our curiosity with the great potential of gaining our attention when more details are revealed. Bateman and Law make a solid pairing, the name is definitely evocative, and it has an Oscar-nominated screenwriter in Baylin to boot. It’s highly likely that this will be another prestige drama outing for Bateman, but no one would be sad if it were a series of hour-long episodes all about fluffy bunnies.
Flowers, dazzling colors, lanterns, laughter, and beautiful people — the recipe for the All Day I Dream festivals is pretty on point. From humble beginnings on the rooftops of Brooklyn, New York, it only makes sense for ADID to cap off an incredible summer festival season back in the borough where it all started. The Brooklyn Mirage hosted what’s become a staple of ADID founder and global house music icon Lee Burridge‘s offerings — a colorful community held spellbound by inspiration and good vibes (and great music).
Burridge and co. strive to “put the music back in music” creating “technicolor emotionalism,” a flavor of emotive, melancholic, and dreamy house that’s not only incredibly fun to dance to, but also a truly heart-opening experience for many festival goers. Mix in a canvas of happy dancers and even if you came to this party solo there’s no doubt you left with a fleet of new connections.
Burridge prides himself on creating a mesmerizing communal experience. Interestingly, you’ll notice on ADID’s homepage the collaborators are classified as “family” with Burridge earning the title “Great Grandfather.” This year’s experience at the mirage included members Sebastien Leger (First Born Son) and Lost Desert (Long Lost Brother). Pippi Ciez and David Orin also performed and though they didn’t get official titles, they clearly still belong in the fam!
Check out the colors, love, friendship, and festivity down below!
Baby Keem, a year after releasing his debut studio album, The Melodic Blue, announced that he’s dropping the deluxe version tonight. As the announcement came as a surprise to many fans, Keem has yet to reveal the tracklist. It will drop at 12pm ET.
The rapper’s record boasted several high-profile collaborations, with Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, and more. The album reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and “Family Ties” won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance Award. Needless to say, it is a wise move to drop some deluxe tracks for an album that has already been critically acclaimed.
“I don’t think music has anything out right now, like this project,” he told Billboard in 2021. “I took my time carefully recording every vocal. I was going through a lot during that process, just becoming a man.”
“To be honest, I never really wanted to be a producer, which is the funny part,” Keem continued, referencing his production background, which began as a high schooler in Vegas. “I only started making beats because I didn’t really have any. And it [became] something I can’t live without doing.”
Earlier this year, Baby Keem embarked on The Melodic Blue tour, playing a handful of shows across the US in the spring. Since then, he has currently been touring as a supporting act for Lamar on his Big Steppers tour. The rappers have a mutual respect for one another, as Lamar frequently praises Keem on stage and even dubbed him a “musical genius” in a recent tweet.
Fast food is designed to be the ultimate convenience. It’s fast, cheap, and most restaurants don’t even require you to leave your car to get your food. But above all else, it’s curated. Almost every fast food menu has numbered combos, prepared food combinations designed to help you make a decision even easier. But as convenient as fast food menus are, they’re also, in 2022, pretty damn huge. Not Cheesecake Factory huge but the typical fast food menu can have as many as 10 different food combinations! Deciding on where to eat is hard enough, but then you roll up to the drive-thru and have to choose between a chicken sandwich, a double cheeseburger, a salad, a sandwich, or whatever the hell you want to classify a Jack in the Box Munchie Meal as?
Despair not! We’re here to help!
We’ve eaten a ton of fast food, from every Taco Bell taco and chalupa to all the side options at your favorite fast food joints, and in this journey, we’ve become intimately familiar with every combination of food at just about every major fast food chain. So to make your fast food lunch journey totally stress-free, we’re going to shout out the absolute best combo meal at each fast food restaurant. In the event a menu doesn’t have combo meals, we’ll make one for you.
Our hope is the next time you find yourself in your favorite fast food drive-thru, you can consult this list and find the best bang for your buck. Let’s dive in!
Arby’s — Diablo Roast Beef Sandwich Meal
Uproxx/Arbys
I know this is a bit of a controversial choice considering it’s not part of the permanent menu, but if you haven’t had Arby’s Diablo Roast Beef Sandwich, remedy that immediately. Not only do you get what Arby is best at: a cheddar-topped roast beef sandwich, this limited edition item adds Diablo BBQ sauce, spicy seasoning, and freshly diced grilled jalapeños to the mix — making this legitimately one of the spiciest sandwiches you’ll ever eat.
It’s meaty, smokey, savory, a bit sweet, and spicy to the point that it’ll produce sweat on your brow. Arby’s doesn’t get better than this. Add to this order a side of onion and garlic-y curly fries and the beverage of your choice (Coca-Cola, every time, or a milkshake if you can’t handle the heat) and you’ve got the best meal from Arby’s your money can buy.
The Bottom Line:
Arby’s Diablo Roast Beef sandwich is a new limited-time-only menu item, but it’s easily the best Arby’s has ever tasted. Not only does Arby’s have the meat, but they also got the heat as well.
Burger King — BK Bacon and Swiss Cheese Royal Crispy Chicken Meal
Uproxx/Burger King
I’ve covered a whole lot of Burger King and my conclusion is that of all the fast food restaurants, this is the one that needs the most help. From the fries to the signature burgers, everything out of Burger King is pretty sub-par, with one exception: The Ch’King sandwich.
Launched in 2021, the Ch’King was made in response to Popeyes and, while it’s not nearly as good as the GOAT, it’s still a pretty solid chicken sandwich in any of its many forms. The best iteration of the Ch’King is currently the BK Bacon and Swiss cheese Royal, which features a thick and tender hand-breaded breast filet topped with savory royal sauce, Swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
The chicken is juicy and meaty, with a well-seasoned breading that combines black pepper and garlic, and onion powder, with a slice of melted Swiss providing some sweet nutty notes, and crispy bacon bringing some smoke in.
The tomato and lettuce are almost inedible, but they add a nice texture to the overall mouthfeel and the occasional juicy burst of freshness. Couple this meal with some fries and a Coca-Cola and you’ve got the best BK has to offer.
The Bottom Line:
Burger King doesn’t do a whole lot right, but the Ch’King sandwich is in a class by itself. The full meal is the money you’ll ever spend at Burger King.
Carl’s Jr — Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger w/ Crinkle Cut Fries
Uproxx/Carls Jr
Hands down, the Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger is Carl’s Jr.’s best burger. They could ditch every other burger on the menu and keep only this one and it would still be worth a trip to Carl’s. It’s beefy, smokey, savory, crunchy, tangy, and sweet — a medley of complimentary and contrasting flavors that make each bite an unforgettable experience.
Also come on, fried onion rings in a burger? That should be a fast food standard.
Pair that smorgasbord of sensations with the garlic and onion-forward flavor of the Criss Cut fries and you have a nearly perfect, incredibly indulgent meal. This is fast food at its finest.
The Bottom Line:
Pairing a Western Bacon Cheeseburger with an order of Criss Cut fries is a guaranteed good meal. It delivers the sort of decadent salty and indulgent experience that only fast food can deliver.
Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Deluxe is the infamous restaurant’s best sandwich. It’s perfectly seasoned with a mix of smokey paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, garlic, onion, and black pepper, with a slice of melted pepper jack cheese providing an extra kick of spice and a creamy finish. It is hands down one of the best spicy chicken sandwiches in all of fast food and yes, I’m going to say it, better than Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich (Popeyes OG is still the GOAT though).
Pair this near-perfect sandwich with some waffle fries and the seasonal Autumn Spice Milkshake and you won’t be disappointed. The Autumn Spice milkshake is a seasonal fall drink that combines brown sugar spice with Chick-fil-A’s thick and rich vanilla soft serve. What do you do when the Autumn Spice isn’t on the menu? Default to the other seasonal milkshake, the peach!
Chick-fil-A’s sandwich isn’t dangerously spicy, so it shouldn’t ignite your taste buds. But if it might you have a nice cool milkshake to wash everything down with.
The Bottom Line:
You only have a few more months to be able to experience this combination of flavors, so head to Chick-fil-A ASAP.
Chipotle doesn’t have combos, making it one of the most frustrating restaurants for indecisive people. Let us make your life easier. We did a whole article series about how to order the best Chipotle burrito, taco, and bowl, but if you want the best of the best, you have to go burrito.
Here is the build: pinto beans, white rice, barbacoa, tomatillo red salsa, cheese, lettuce, and guacamole. The experience will smack your taste buds with an intense burst of heat that fizzles out into earthy and creamy flavors and ends with a touch of sweetness.
It may sound bare bones, but trust us, not only will this be the best Chipotle burrito you ever eat, but the employee helping you will actually be able to fold it without having to bust out an extra tortilla to wrap it all together, meaning it won’t come apart on you as you eat it.
Pair this burrito with a side order of chips and guacamole and you’ve got the perfect chipotle meal.
The Bottom Line:
Chipotle gets a lot of flack for being some of the least flavorful Mexican food on the planet, but our burrito build fights against that very fair criticism by prioritizing simplicity.
KFC’s best combo is its simplest. Just two pieces of juicy Original Recipe fried chicken with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy, and the beverage of your choice. We’re highlighting the leg and thigh because dark meat is always juicier than white meat, but it’s important that you order Original Recipe over Extra Crispy.
Original Recipe gives your tastebuds 11 herbs and spices to enjoy, including thyme, rosemary, oregano, pepper, onion, and garlic. What do you get with Original Recipe? Salt. That’s it.
All of KFC’s sides are kind of subpar, but there is something special about taking a chicken leg and dunking it in a bowl of savory, rich, and buttery mashed potatoes and gravy. It’s the whole reason KFC’s Famous Bowl exists, which is delicious but isn’t quite as juicy and satisfying as the bone-in bird.
The Bottom Line:
It’s the first combo on KFC’s menu because it’s the best tasting and most essential. Don’t overthink it, just get it.
In-N-Out has just three combos on the menu going from the best, the Double Double, to the worst, the Hamburger. With the Double-Double you get two tiny patties of salty ground beef melded together with fast food’s greatest-tasting American cheese. Make sure you ask for grilled onions to add some savory caramelized sweetness to each bite.
In-N-Out burgers are incredibly small, this is probably the only double cheeseburger in fast food that you can eat without slipping into a food coma after. So what do you do with all that extra room in your stomach? Explore the Secret Menu with an order of Animal-Style fries (more cheese and onions!) and a Root Beer Float.
The Bottom Line:
Not just the best order on the entire In-N-Out menu, one of the best orders you can ever hope to eat in all of fast food.
Jack in the Box — Sriracha Curly Fry Burger Munchie Meal
Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box, like Taco Bell, is a stoner’s paradise. This is the sort of fast food chain you stumble into after a late night when you have zero inhibitions and you feel like taking your tastebuds and stomach on an absolute ride.
No meal is going to help you achieve that like this monstrosity. A combination of a sriracha-doused cheeseburger stuffed with a small order of curly fries between a split top bun with an order of Jack in the Box’s weird-ass tacos, and a mix of curly and regular fries with a small drink. It’s salty, spicy, greasy and yes, it will turn your stomach in a few hours — but goddamn will it be worth it.
How do you elevate the meal even further? Ditch the soda that comes with it and get an Oreo Shake instead. Why? Because you only live once!
The Bottom Line:
It’s nearly 2000 calories and who knows how much sodium, it will undoubtedly take a year or two off your life but, who cares? Everyone should experience this at least once, preferably high, drunk, or under the influence of something.
McDonald’s — Double Cheeseburger w/ Fries & a Coke
Uproxx/McDonald
This isn’t actually a combo at McDonald’s, it’s a combination of value menu items but there is just something so good about a meal that tastes this flavorful for under $5. Sure it’s not a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder, but it has that unmistakable McDonald’s flavor. Nothing in this burger taste like what it is, the pickles don’t just taste like pickles, they taste like McDonald’s pickles. That combination of mustard and ketchup? It has this unmistakable flavor that just screams “McDonald’s” so loudly that you could pick it out in a blind taste test with ease.
The meat patties here might be thin but that’s actually this burger’s strength, McDonald’s meatier burgers may offer a more satisfying meal but it’s a lot easier to taste just how mediocre McDonald’s meat is. It’s grainy, dry, and over-salted, but with the Double Cheeseburger, you can hardly tell.
Especially if you cram your burger with some fries! Wash it all down with McDonald’s suspiciously delicious coke and you have an answer as to why fast food is as beloved as it is.
The Bottom Line:
A testament to how delicious cheap fast food can really be.
If you’re going to Popeyes you have to get the best chicken sandwich in all of fast food. Is the sandwich overhyped? Absolutely. Taking a bite isn’t going to change your world, but the general public went nuts for this chicken sandwich for a reason — it truly is fast food’s best.
The chicken is tender, juicy, and well-seasoned, with just a hint of sweetness that is even better accentuated when you pour a dab of honey on it. The only thing better than Popeyes’ Chicken Sandwich is the Popeyes Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Chicken Sandwich, which is the same chicken sandwich doused in a sweet and spicy sauce.
That sandwich was unfortunately a limited-time affair, but the OG is still good enough to hold the crown for fast food’s best chicken sandwich. Pair this delicious sandwich with a side order of cajun fries and you can’t go wrong. Popeyes’ best menu item with its all-time best side order.
The Bottom Line:
It’s the GOAT for a reason. This meal combines the best Popeyes has to offer in a single combo.
Let’s be real, the reason anyone goes to Rally’s/Checkers is for the fries. The Big Buford? It’s good. The Mother Cruncher? Maybe the best name for a chicken sandwich ever. But the real star of the show is those weird crispy seasoned fries. They have a light and airy seasoned batter housing buttery molten potato inside. They’re near-perfect fries, and you’re probably going to end up shoving them into your burger or sandwich anyway so you might as well let Rally’s do it for you.
The Fry Lover’s burger features two beef patties, two slices of American cheese, tomato, red onion, dill pickles, and ketchup with a layer of fries on top of it all. And the best part about it is that you still get a side order of fries to go along with your burger.
The Bottom Line
It’s one of the few fast food combos that attempt to give you everything you could ever want.
It was kind of tough to decide on a single best order at Raising Cane’s because the chicken chain has just one product: chicken tenders. Even their chicken sandwich is just three chicken tenders between a bun! So why did we decide on the 3 Finger Combo? Because it’s the perfect portion.
You get three wonderful fresh never-frozen chicken tenders with a side of average crinkle-cut fries, a slice of Texas toast, and a drink of your choice (get the lemonade). If you really like Cole slaw — what’s wrong with you? — go ahead and get the Caniac Combo which will score you an additional chicken tender and a side of coleslaw to go along with your fries and Texas toast.
Your last option is the Box Combo which is ridiculously huge, giving you six tenders, two pieces of Texas toast, Cole slaw, and extra fries. It’s enough to split between two people. The Three Finger Combo on the other hand hits that Goldilock’s zone.
The Bottom Line:
Aside from ordering the sandwich, you can’t really go wrong with Raising Cane’s combo options. The Three Finger Combo will get you the perfect portion of everything.
Shake Shack —Double Shack Burger & A Seasonal Shake
Uproxx/Shake Shack
What makes Shake Shack special is the proprietary Pat LaFrieda butcher blend that makes up their beef. It’s the reason why Shake Shack’s meat patty tastes different from every other meat out there in the fast food realm. It’s gourmet, and decidedly not fast food.
It’s delicate, sumptuous and practically melts in your mouth. But everything else at Shake Shack? It’s like they’re not even trying. Don’t muddy this delicious burger with something as disgusting as Shake Shack’s weird crinkle-cut fries. You may be looking to the cheese fries thinking that’ll liven them up, but it won’t, they’re awful too, unless you really like movie theater nacho cheese sauce.
Keep it simple and order a Double Shack Burger and a milkshake and bathe your taste buds in luxuriousness. We’d pick a specific milkshake but the Shack constantly rotates their best flavors every three months or so. Right now the shake menu includes an Apple Cider Donut shake, a Pumpkin Patch shake, and Choco Salted Toffee. Each of those sounds better than vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, so always go seasonal!
The Bottom Line:
It might feel weird to eat a cheeseburger without a side of fries, but hey, now you have an excuse to get a Double.
Two Crunchy Beef Tacos and a Mexican Pizza, how can you go wrong? This combo brings together all of Taco Bell’s best foods into one meal. What do you do when the Mexican Pizza leaves the menu again, which it probably will? Just order a grip of crunchy tacos.
The Crunchwrap, the Beefy 5-Layer, and the grilled burritos are good too, but the crunchy taco is Taco Bell at its finest.
The Bottom Line:
Taco Bell has a big menu, but let’s be real. The beans are bad, and tortillas are gummy, and most of the meat options outside of ground beef are dry and low quality. The best things from Taco Bell are fried.
Wendy’s best cheeseburger is the Baconator. It’s a mountain of meat, two thick quarter-pound beef patties, two layers of crispy bacon, mayo, and a light buttery bun. There is no room for lettuce or tomato here, it’s all about the meaty flavor, and since Wendy’s doesn’t use frozen ground beef and has probably the best bacon in all of fast food, this thing delivers on the flavor.
The fries are fine, what’s going to make them delicious though is dipping them into that chocolate Frosty. Suddenly you’ll turn some mediocre French fries into a flavor bomb of sweet and salty sensations. The perfect indulgent treat to sit alongside your decadent Baconator.
The Bottom Line:
This is the sort of meal you eat when you really want to treat yourself. It’s fatty, salty, sweet, and indulgent. That said, it’s not a simple lunch you order during a 30-minute to hour-long break unless you can work through a massive food coma.
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