(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent Power Book III: Raising Kanan episode will be found below.)
Episode seven of Power Book III: Raising Kananseason three captured the start of Ronnie and Kanan’s partnership and how it effected people that were close to the latter. Jukebox does not approve of Kanan’s work with Pop, Snaps, and Ronnie while Kanan’s issues with Famous have only gotten worse. As this is happening, Raq is taking her first steps back into the game with help from Marvin thanks to a new partnership with Unique’s former distributor. Speaking of Marvin, this episode followed him as he corrected teh wrongs done by two people close to him: Gerald and Lou-Lou. The former did not require a drastic fix, but the same could not be said for Lou. This week, with episode eight, we see where things go next.
When Will Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3, Episode 8 Come Out?
The eighth episode of Power Book III: Raising Kanan season three, titled “Reckonings,” will arrive on January 26. The Dawn Wilkinson, Monty DeGraff, and Sascha Penn-directed and Tash Gray-written episode will be available on Friday, 1/26 on the STARZ app starting at midnight EST/PST. The episode will later air on the STARZ TV channel at 8 pm ET/PT. A synopsis for “Reckonings” can be found below:
As a despondent Lou becomes a liability for the family, Raq and Marvin work to get the new heroin operation up and running amidst new competition from Kanan and Ronnie.
New episodes of ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am ET/PT and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm ET/PT.
The cheapest ticket on StubHub for the AFC championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens on Sunday is $539. For the NFC Championship, where the Detroit Lions will travel to California to play the San Francisco 49ers, it’s $433. Why the $100 difference? Call it the Taylor Swift effect.
Will Taylor Swift Go To The Chiefs Vs. Ravens Playoff Game In Baltimore?
Swift is expected to attend the Chiefs vs. Ravens game at M&T Bank Stadium to cheer on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. If the Chiefs win, they will be in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five seasons. If the Ravens triumph, there will be a lot of conflicted Swifties in the Baltimore area.
Swift was good luck for the Chiefs last weekend when they beat the Buffalo Bills, and for Kelce, in particular, who scored two touchdowns. After the first, he did Swift’s signature Fearless heart hands gesture. “Yeah, man, had to spread the love baby,” he told his brother, shirtless legend Jason, on the New Heights With Jason And Travis Kelce podcast. “Always got to spread that love, baby.”
Sunday’s AFC Championship game airs on CBS and streams on Paramount+ at 3 p.m. EST, followed by the NFC Championship game at 6:30 p.m. EST. To paraphrase Lions celebrity super-fan Tim Robinson, I think you should watch.
If you’re like me (and the rest of the crew at Uproxx, for that matter) music is a constant throughout your day. Not only do I enjoy sitting down to listen to a new album, or seeing my favorite artists live, but music is constantly playing in the background, no matter what I’m doing. Even when I’m on the move, I’ll have it pumping through my headphones, in my car, in the kitchen… always and everywhere.
Speaking personally, there are two scenarios where having music is less of a “nice-to-have” and more of a necessity. When I’m working or when I’m working out. Maybe you’ve seen those viral memes about forgetting to charge your AirPods before heading the gym. Those hit far too close to home for me.
On top of the benefits that come with listening to music while you’re on task, big headphones and some tunes are also an effective way to block auditory distractions. Are you trying to get some project done while at a cafe, and someone is having a conversation at the table next to you? Are you trying to get your focus on your benchpress and someone is hitting the heavy bag like it owes them money?
Music is often the fix.
Does this mean that all music will help with all kinds of work? No. Here are a few science-backed suggestions for what genres and kinds of compositions you should look for in each scenario, as well as a few Spotify playlist suggestions from our personal collection.
PART I — FOR WORK
Things To Consider:
No New Tunes: Remember that Drake and DJ Khaled song “No New Friends?” The workplace is not the place to try checking out new music or artists. For starters you don’t know what to expect out of each song, meaning there could be instrumentation or lyrics that are distracting. Even if there isn’t, you are likely to use up brainpower trying to process the new information. Brainpower that would be better used for your work!
Leave Out The Lead Singer: If you have a track with vocals that you are very familiar and in sync with this might not be an issue. But many jobs at a computer involve writing emails, decks, or other kinds of creative thinking, and when a song has lyrics it can confuse the brain. Imagine trying to get out a clear, concise thought and another person is singing, or screaming, a whole different sentence in your ear.
Respect The Environment: This is for people who work in an office, co-working space, or other kind of situation where you are in public. If you are allowed to have headphones in nobody can police what you listen to, but perhaps it’s not appropriate to listen to something that’s going to make you head bang in full view of the conference room. It’s also important to understand the effect that music can have on your mindset. So think about the mood of the music as well. Do you want to listen to something super aggressive and then have to interact with a client? Probably not.
GENRE TO EXPLORE: CLASSICAL
Playlist: “Classical For Productivity” by Bach
Why:
This genre is probably the best baseline when it comes to music to work while listening to. There was a study done in 2007 that showed that individuals that listened to classical specifically experienced benefits to their cognition (The Mozart Effect!). There are rarely any vocals, and even if you don’t listen to classical music regularly there are themes and melodies that of course have spawned much of the contemporary composition structure today.
The more “known” the better, so opt for composers like Bach, Haydn, Beethoveen and Mozart. I personally love the playlist above, which includes some classics done by new artists.
GENRE TO EXPLORE: SOUNDTRACKS (VIDEO GAME and MOVIE)
Track: “Demacia Rising” by League of Legends
Why:
Data shows that more than 70 percent of Americans play some sort of video game, which is a pretty big stat. And we’re also some of the biggest movie lovers out there. Soundtracks are great for working because we are familiar with them, they usually lack lyrics and they usually convey a pretty epic feeling. The research identified this music is designed to be “motivating without distracting.”
On top of that, when we are speaking about video games, there is usually an element of problem solving present, which makes it the perfect backdrop for figuring out your latest project. League of Legends is one of the most popular video games around, and it isn’t hurt by the fact they have the most epic compositions in the space. Or go for the soundtrack to a movie you know well — maybe the Gladiator soundtrack if you want to get hyped.
GENRE TO EXPLORE: AMBIENT MUSIC WITH FIELD RECORDINGS
Playlist: “Reflections Under The Sky” by SiJ & Textere Oris
Why:
This genre is all about building an atmosphere, and all the other elements come second. If you are looking for music that won’t steer the way, but instead allows you to take control of the mental journey, then ambient is the way. There is a sub-genre of ambient that includes “field recordings” — the term for taking high definition audio equipment outside to record the sounds of nature.
There are scientific studies around the positive effects that listen to the sounds of nature can have on your emotional state. The better mood you’re in, the better work you are going to produce. I love getting into the zone with the track above.
GENRE TO EXPLORE: AMBIENT MUSIC AT 432 HZ
Playlist: Deep Focus – 432 hz
Why:
There have been a lot of recent studies dedicated to the affect that listening to music tuned to 432 hertz can have on your mental state. Thus far, the results have been positive, with it not only improving your level of focus but also lowering anxiety and stress. Because of these new findings, a number of playlists and videos have popped up with music tuned to 432 hertz. Not just ambient music either, depending on your listening habits you can also find classical and even pop music options. But ambient seems to be the best delivery system for 432 hertz.
PART II — FOR WORKOUTS
Things To Consider:
Find Your Tempo: Any music that motivates you may help you in the gym, but if you are really trying to amplify the benefits of listening to tunes while you train, finding the right tempo is key. There has been a lot of research done on what tempo or beats per minute, BPM, is best for what exercise. It should come at no surprise that different tempos are better for different kinds of workouts. For example your “zone two” exercises like jogging can be around 120 BPM, powerlifting can be around 150 BPM, and your elite level running can go up to 180 BPM.
Keep Up The Beat: There is nothing more distracting mid-lifting set or a run than losing pace. Lots of workouts and sprinting routines have the beat in mind, so that’s a huge thing to consider when listening to music while working out. Once you find your ideal tempo, it’s good to create a playlist that maintains that pace, or an album that keeps that pace throughout. There are a lot of playlists on music apps like Spotify that are dedicated to certain BPMs.
Keep Mood In Mind: Everyone has their own goals when it comes to the gym. And that’s not just referring to any kind of weight they may want to lose or muscle they may want to gain. The gym can also be a place to escape, a place to meditate through movement, a place to purge negativity, and a place to socialize. I personally go to the gym for all of the above. So you are going to want to select music that fits that mood, and have a playlist ready for every occasion.
GENRE TO EXPLORE: ROCK
Playlist: Born To Run (at 150 BPM)
Why:
Studies out there classify rock and alternative music as being the leading genre for Americans. The intensity that is projected with the distortion makes it the perfect fit for individuals looking to get some aggression out through their training. These albums usually have BPMs that fit with what is desired in workout music.
Even better when the songs have a powerful anthemic chorus to sing along with.
GENRE TO EXPLORE: POP
Playlist: Pop Hits (at 130 BPM)
Why:
There’s a reason that popular music is popular, one of the reasons being no matter who the artist is, usually there is a team of people helping them make each track as catchy as possible. The goal is to get you hooked, and keep you coming back for more. That means if you find a tune you like, you may just be able to keep it on repeat the whole session.
These songs are also usually right in that sweet spot for BPM, perfect for getting that head bouncing and the energy up.
GENRE TO EXPLORE: HIP-HOP
Playlist: Hip Hop (at 160 BPM)
Why:
Hip hop is one of the most versatile genres around, and if you disagree get a friend whose a hip-hop lover to school you up. So whether you are looking to release with some big weights or just looking to move and vibe, hip-hop has got you.
For me, I’m a big on lyrics, and I’m looking for some phrases that I can connect with when I’m working out. Even if it’s not every single verse, I want the lyrics to hit me, which often leaves me playing big beats paired with thoughtful lyrics like you’ll find on the playlist above.
The 2024 BRIT Awards nominations have been announced. R&B-pop chanteuse RAYE, whose album My 21st Century Blues was included on many publications’ “Best Of 2023” lists — including Uproxx’s Best Pop Albums Of 2023 — is not only the leading nominee but also makes history with seven nominations. That’s the most nominations for a single artist in a single year since the first BRIT Awards in 1977.
Raye is nominated for artist of the year, best new artist, pop act, R&B act, album of the year, and two songs of the year: “Escapism” with 070 Shake, and “Prada” with with cassö and D-Block Europe. Meanwhile, other nominees include Dua Lipa, with three nominations, Central Cee with four, and J Hus, also with four. The Rolling Stones also won their first nomination since 2013 — more than a decade — for alternative/rock act.
When Are The BRIT Awards 2024?
The BRIT Awards are set for Saturday, March 2, at the O2 Arena in London. The show will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX.
Here’s The Complete List Of 2024 BRIT Awards Nominees
Mastercard Album Of The Year
Blur — The Ballad Of Darren
J Hus — Beautiful And Brutal Yard
Little Simz — No Thank You
RAYE — My 21st Century Blues
Young Fathers — Heavy Heavy
Artist Of The Year
Arlo Parks
Central Cee
Dave
Dua Lipa
Fred Again..
J Hus
Jessie Ware
Little Simz
Olivia Dean
RAYE
Group Of The Year
Blur
Chase & Status
Headie One & K-Trap
Jungle
Young Fathers
Best New Artist
Mahalia
Olivia Dean
PinkPantheress
RAYE
Yussef Dayes
Song Of The Year
Calvin Harris/Ellie Goulding — “Miracle”
cassö/RAYE/D-Block Europe — “Prada”
Central Cee — “Let Go”
Dave & Central Cee — “Sprinter,” Dave & Central Cee
Dua Lipa — “Dance the Night”
Ed Sheeran — “Eyes Closed”
J Hus — “Who Told You” Feat. Drake
Kenya Grace — “Strangers”
Lewis Capaldi — “Wish You the Best”
PinkPantheress — “Boy’s A Liar”
RAYE — “Escapism.” Feat. 070 Shake
Rudimental/Charlotte Plank/Vibe Chemistry — “Dancing Is Healing”
Stormzy — “Firebabe” Feat. Debbie
Switch Disco & Ella Henderson — “REACT”
Venbee & Goddard — “Messy in Heaven”
International artist of the year
Asake
Burna Boy
Caroline Polachek
CMAT
Kylie Minogue
Lana Del Rey
Olivia Rodrigo
SZA
Taylor Swift
As Amazon nears the start of its new ad program, which will require Prime Video users to pay an additional $2.99/month if they want to avoid commercials, Netflix has revealed that the streaming platform almost implemented a similar approach. Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters made the admission during the company’s Q4 earnings call on Tuesday.
“We did consider making advertising the default option,” Peters told investors. “But given our long history of not having ads, we thought it was better for members, rather than forcing them into a change and get them mad.”
Peters further expanded on why Netflix ultimately chose to go a different direction than Amazon.
Prime Video, which Peters did not name in his answer, requires customers to pay $3 a month extra to not see any ads on original programming. Netflix concluded it was “better to attract them to the advertising plan … based on the benefits: more streams, higher-resolution downloads and, of course, lower price,” Peters said. A bit more than a year since launch, he continued, “that approach is generally working well for our members and we haven’t seen any big backlash, which is a positive as well.”
However, while Netflix might not be forcing users to pay extra to avoid ads, it is starting to limit their options. The streaming platform recently confirmed that it’s doing away with its cheapest ad-free plan known as Basic. Users will then have to choose between the $6.99 Standard plan with ads or jump all the way up to the $15.49 Standard plan without ads. Either way, Netflix benefits from either pulling in more ad-revenue or collecting a higher subscription rate.
Coachella is quickly approaching, as the California festival is returning for two weekends in April. With Lana Del Rey, Tyler The Creator, Doja Cat, and No Doubt set to headline, along with a lot more thrilling acts, many music lovers might be wondering if they can still get tickets.
Shortly after the festival unveiled the 2024 lineup, they put out a presale for tickets — giving out a code to those who signed up.
Here’s what to know about Coachella’s current ticket availability.
Is Coachella 2024 Sold Out?
As of right now, no.
According to Coachella’s website, 3-day General Admission passes to either weekend are still available to purchase, and these start at $549 with fees. This also doesn’t include the GA with shuttle option, which would then start at $669, and is also still available.
VIP 3-day tickets still have remaining availability, and these start at $1,269 before fees, according to AXS.
It seems that the things that have sold out for right now are the camping options. Preferred car camping, tent camping, the Lake Eldorado Tent, and stays at the Lake Eldorado Lodge all have separate waitlists going right now. These all include a $20 deposit to start, with the remainder of the accommodation costs being charged if you are accepted.
For those looking to go, though, it definitely would be worth not waiting, as Coachella typically sells out.
Prolific music producer Jack Antonoff has tons of music arriving soon. In addition to the new self-titled Bleachers album, which is out this March, Antonoff is lending his producer hand to a promising collective of artists.
Antonoff has curated the soundtrack for Apple TV+’s new series, The New Look, a period piece telling the story of fashion designers Christian Dior, Coco Chanel and their contemporaries in the era of World War II, pioneering modern fashion. Emmy Award winner Ben Mendelsohn plays Christian Dior and Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche stars as Coco Chanel. Maisie Williams, John Malkovich, Emily Mortimer, Claes Bang and Glenn Close also star alongside Mendelsohn and Binoche.
The show’s soundtrack features 10 new recordings produced by Antonoff, performed by Florence + The Machine, Perfume Genius, Joy Oladokan, Bartees Strange, The 1975, Lana Del Rey, and more. The first of the songs, Florence + The Machine’s “White Cliffs Of Dover” arrives next Wednesday, January 31.
You can see the cover art and tracklist below.
Jack Antonoff’s The New Look Soundtrack Album Cover Art
Shadow Of The City
Jack Antonoff’s The New Look Soundtrack Tracklist
1. “White Cliffs Of Dover” by Florence + The Machine
2. “Now Is The Hour” by The 1975
3. “Blue Skies” by Lana Del Rey
4. “What A Difference A Day Makes” by Perfume Genius
5. “La Vie En Rose” by Nick Cave
6. “It’s Only A Paper Moon” by Beadbadoobee
7. “I Wished Upon The Moon” by Joy Oladokan
8. “You Always Hurt The One You Love” by Bartees Strange
9. “I Cover The Waterfront” by Sam Dew
10. “Almost Like Being In Love” by Bleachers
The New Look soundtrack is out 4/3 via Shadow Of The City and Dirty Hit. Find more information here.
The New Look premieres 2/14 on Apple TV+ with three episodes, and additional episodes streaming weekly.
Reacher‘s second season finale put the Big Guy back on a bus to his next destination, which remained a mystery at air time. Plenty of speculation existed, however, which Lee Childs Jack Reacher novel would be adapted next by the Amazon series for Season 3. A lot of chatter has surfaced about Tripwire, the third novel in the series, although Amazon hasn’t been following chronological order yet, so nothing was guaranteed.
Sure enough, the adapted novel will not be Tripwire. Instead, anyone who wants to hop ahead by reading Persuader (Book 7 in Childs’ series) can feel confident in doing so. Amazon confirmed that detail as well as a returning character — sorry, it is not Roscoe — which will be Francis Neagley as portrayed by Maria Sten. As devotees know, Neagley never appeared in the first Jack Reacher novel, but the show pulled her in for a brief first season appearance, which helped Neagley’s second season “flare gun” of sorts make sense. Also, she knows what Reacher likes to order in diners, which makes a refueling pit stop faster, so they can go punch bad dudes together.
Sounds like a plan, and here’s additional (vague) information from an Amazon press release:
Season Three of Reacher will be based on the book Persuader, the 7th book in the Jack Reacher series, written by Lee Child….. About Season Three: Reacher must go undercover to rescue an informant held by a haunting foe from his past.
The third season of Reacher is currently filming in Toronto. The renewal was announced in December 2023, two weeks before season two premiered on Prime Video.
Prior to this announcement, Ritchson (who has been bumped up to executive producer for the third season) shared a “crusty” photo from the set, but the real tease came from his Instagrammed image of a lobster (from craft services) with the telltale “details matter” motto in tow.
That detail pretty much confirmed that Persuader, which takes place in lobstering country (Maine), was the chosen book. Amazon saw fit to put an official seal on that news, and you know what to do next. Still, Tripwire would be fun because who doesn’t wanna see Reacher in Key West? Someone who doesn’t believe in key lime pie, that’s who.
Jack Daniel’s has completely reinvented itself (yet again) over the past decade or so. The brand has gone from being a low-shelf rail whiskey to one of the most exciting brands in the entire whiskey sphere. That growth and repositioning is thanks to Master Distiller Chris Fletcher and Assistant Distiller Lexie Phillips — both multi-generation Jack Daniel’s whiskey makers — taking the reigns in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and shifting the focus of the company to amazing releases that reinvent the brand.
Spoiler alert: They’re killing it. And fans and reviewers (like myself!) are definitely taking note.
We know that seems thin. But the team at Jack Daniel’s — and their bosses in Louisville at Brown-Forman — are very good at surprising us. Given the success of last year’s Tennessee rye releases, be on the lookout for special finished rye whiskeys, single barrels, and one-of-a-kind releases in that arena. We’d also keep an eye out for more American single malt whiskey.
The Cheesecake Factory has what I like to call a “shit ton of menu options.” It’s the one thing everyone knows about The Factory. If you were asked the question, “what kind of food does Cheesecake Factory have?” You’d simply answer “A lot.” There is no rhyme or reason to any of these food options, either. There is no unifying theme (unless you count chaos as a theme), and there isn’t a singular dish that can represent the experience of eating there.
The bloated menu makes eating at Cheesecake Factory a stressful experience, especially if it’s your first time. Once you hit menu page 14, you’re probably going to be juggling at least 37 different dishes in your head that you might like to eat. But don’t worry, we’re here to help. Not only have we done a breakdown of the 25 best dishes on the menu, but we’ve also tried every cheesecake on the menu. And now — perhaps the most vital for diners…
We’re about to review and rank every. Single. Appetizer.
Have we made our way through even half of the available menu options at Cheesecake Factory? Not even close! But baby steps, people! One thing we can guarantee is that by using our Cheesecake Factory guides, you’ll leave the restaurant with a good meal every time.
To help make this ranking a bit easier to navigate, I’ve categorized the appetizers into three distinct categories: Non-essential, good, and great. A quick note before we begin though — if you find something on the non-essential list that you’re curious about, go ahead and satisfy that curiosity. Just because we dropped the option in the non-essential section doesn’t mean we think it’s “bad.” More that it feels like a wasted choice.
Everything at Cheesecake Factory is scratch-made in a restaurant, except for the cheesecakes, ironically, so while some of these are inessential, just about everything is still pretty damn tasty. Let’s eat!
PART I — Non-Essential Apps
17. Pretzel Bites With Cheddar Cheese Fondue
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
You’re going to get exactly what you expect here: little balls of soft warm pretzel with a salty cheddar cheese dip to pair it with. There isn’t anything special or otherwordly about these pretzels, it’s pretty standard stuff: buttery, chewy, with a light dusting of salt.
Despite the Pretzel Bites being good, I don’t understand who these are for. Cheesecake Factory is always located in or near a mall. Always. That means in the mall you can hit up Auntie Anne’s or Wetzel Pretzel, pick up a fresh baked pretzel for a third of the price, and essentially get the same experience.
So do that instead.
The Bottom Line:
They’re pretzel bites. Nothing special here, they aren’t elevated in any way and they don’t offer you anything a regular soft pretzel doesn’t. Skip these, and actively talk people at your table out of ordering them. They’re a waste of table space.
16. Quesadilla
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
I love a good quesadilla as much as the next person, and this is a pretty good quesadilla, but, ultimately, it’s inessential.
Let’s talk about what works: It’s huge, grilled, and has a thick layer of Monterey Jack cheese, green onions, and mild chiles inside, with a side of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream for dipping.
Something is missing with this quesadilla though. The salsa is essentially just pico de gallo, meaning it provides zero heat, the guacamole is a bit more complicated than it needs to be and goes too heavy on the onion, and the tortilla has this thick and bready quality about it that doesn’t capture the magic of your typical buttery and chewy flour tortilla.
Something about it tastes so glaringly inauthentic that after I ordered it I had a craving for something from my corner taqueria. Not a good sign.
Now I’m fortunate enough to live in Los Angeles where there are significantly more taquerias where you can get a mind-blowing quesadilla than there are Cheesecake Factory restaurants. If that’s not your situation, I suggest hitting up your local market and getting all the necessary ingredients to make this on your own.
The Bottom Line:
It’s not going to be the best quesadilla you’re ever going to eat, and it’s not going to taste better than what you can make at home in about three minutes.
15. Warm Crab Dip
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
There are plenty of seafood-related options to snack on before your main course, but considering the Warm Crab Dip is just a blend of crab, artichokes, and cheese, with a side of crostini for dipping, it feels pretty minor in comparison to more shareable dishes like the Ahi Poke Nachos or Fried Calamari and isn’t quite as good a dip as the Hot Spinach and Cheese Dip or the cheddar cheese fondue from the Mini Pretzel bites.
As for the flavor, it’s a mix of sweet and creamy notes with a nice tender texture and a subtle savory quality. It’s not bad by any means, but it’s a very minor side that will be gone a bit too quickly.
The Bottom Line:
The most boring seafood-related dish on the appetizer menu.
14. Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Don’t let this eye candy dish fool you, I know it looks incredibly satisfying, like some sort of cross between a tamale and a sope, but the flavor here isn’t nearly as interesting as the photo suggests. The dish consists of sweet corn cakes topped with avocado, tomato, and cilantro sitting in a thick sauce that Cheesecake Factory calls Salsa Verde, but is some sort of super mild, slightly sweet gravy.
Seriously, in what world is this salsa?
Overall the whole dish is also way too sweet, almost to the point of being a dessert. If you’re a fan of sweet tamales, you might find something to like here and the dish certainly is photo-worthy, but if you’re after big complex flavors, look elsewhere.
The Bottom Line:
This super sweet dish is missing a savory element to help balance it out.
13. Factory Nachos
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
These are essentially a glammed-up version of movie theater nachos consisting of tortilla chips topped with melted cheese, a tiny scoop of guacamole, a light drizzle of red chile sauce, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, green onions, and salsa.
Don’t let the double dose of red chile sauce and salsa fool you though, this dish is more sweet than spicy.
These nachos just don’t do the dish justice — there is no meat, no beans, no cilantro, none of the things that make nachos truly great. Unless your idea of good nachos is what you’ll find at a movie theater or sports stadium.
Cheesecake’s Spinach and Cheese Dip goes hard on the garlic and shallots, making this an incredibly aromatic dish that tastes great and is appetizing in the moment, but stains your palate for the rest of the day. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t order this dish.
I can’t deny that it is pretty tasty. It’s served with a side of freshly fried tortilla and it’s the type of dish that you sort of mindlessly eat without stopping because it’s right in front of you. My only real issue with this dish, besides the way the flavor permeates, is that it feels a bit overpriced at nearly $20 in the LA area.
For the money, there are more satisfying dishes on the appetizer menu.
The Bottom Line:
You certainly shouldn’t stop someone else at the table from ordering it, but don’t be the one — because it’s a steep price for what is just a slightly elevated cheese dip and chips.
PART II — The Good
11. Ahi Poke Nachos
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
It might seem strange that the Factory Nachos are on the “Inessential” list but the Ahi Poke Nachos are on the “Good” list, but that’s because this dish tastes novel and unique and not like someone is trying to trick you into paying nearly $20 for nachos you could easily make at home.
The Ahi Poke nachos feature a mix of marinated raw Ahi tuna, avocado, green onion, chiles, sesame seeds, and crispy wontons all drizzled with sriracha aioli. The perfect chip (meaning a bit of everything on the wontons) has a flavor that combines fresh bright-buttery tuna flavor, with added buttery, peppery, and tangy top notes with a gentle heat that builds on the palate.
My only gripe with this dish is that there isn’t nearly enough tuna (or chiles) so after a few delicious bites of this dish, you’re going to just be eating wontons.
The Bottom Line:
A solid-tasting dish that runs out of its star ingredient after just a few bites.
10. Thai Lettuce Wraps With Chicken/Avocado
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
I like the Thai Lettuce Wraps (available both with chicken or avocado) so much. Every ingredient hits here. The satay-style chicken strips are tender, a bit sweet, and nicely charred, the carrots are bright and sweet, the bean sprouts and coconut curry noodles add nice texture, the cilantro and cucumber are great fresh finishers, and the big buttery leaves of lettuce and cabbage wrap it all together in a perfect bite.
And that’s before we even get to the trio of sauces, which include variations on peanut sauce and sweet chili. But this dish is impossible to share, and I think a great appetizer needs to be shareable.
There just isn’t enough chicken here. Even eating this thing solo, I ended up left with just lettuce and the sides pretty quickly.
The Bottom Line:
I love the fresh flavor, but there isn’t enough chicken to rid whoever ordered it of the impulse to slap people’s hands away when they reach for some. And a good app should be shareable.
9. Fried Calamari
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
I don’t have a lot to say about Fried Calamari. It’s a good dish, shareable, and delivers pretty much what you’d expect from Fried Calamari. The Calamari is light and crispy with a sweet flavor that pairs nicely with the garlic sauce and cocktail dip. If you like calamari, you’re going to love this dish, simple as that.
So why is it in the good not great list? It just seems pretty standard to me, not mind-blowing or a reason to go to the Cheesecake Factory.
The Bottom Line:
It delivers pretty much what you’d expect. Standard fare. Good, but not great.
8. Buffalo Wings
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Like the Fried Calamari, I feel like these buffalo wings are pretty much on par with other chains and pubs. They’re crispy, tender, and covered in a thick buffalo sauce. The buffalo sauce isn’t very wet or saucy, and the heat here isn’t very intense, but the flavor has a nice tang to it with the right amount of sweetness.
Note — Cheesecake Factory uses that sauce in a better dish. We’ll get to it soon.
The Bottom Line:
Wings are always a good appetizer and these are no different, but if you’re looking for something truly unique that uses the same flavors, stay tuned, we have a dish for you in the “Great” section.
7. Spicy Tuna
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The Spicy Tuna is a near-perfect bite. The rice has a crispy lightly fried texture to it which pairs nicely with the texture of the Ahi tuna. Everything works in harmony here, including the light shavings of green onion, and the sweet mildly spicy ginger drizzle.
The issue with this dish is that it’s only suitable for a group of four, this way everyone can have one each. If you try and knock out this dish with two people, you’re going to end up feeling a bit too full. It’s a small gripe, but again, this doesn’t feel like a reason to go to Cheesecake Factory, and that’s what we’re looking for in the “Great” category.
The Bottom Line:
A perfect bite with a nice texture and a great flavor.
6. Chicken Pot Stickers
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The Chicken Pot Stickers are pan-fried dumplings housing tender and succulent chunks of chicken in a sweet and salty soy ginger glaze with toasted sesame seeds. Tasting this dish was a true pleasure and there wasn’t a single element of this dish that I could find an issue with but for whatever reason, after I ate these I had a craving for dumplings from a real dumpling house.
I think that decidedly means this dish is good but not great.
The Bottom Line:
A tasty pan-fried dumpling. Delicious but not a reason to visit Cheesecake Factory.
PART III — The Great
5. Housemade Meatballs
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Now we’re talking! This is where Cheesecake Factory goes from merely good, to straight-up mind-blowing. Admittedly this meatball dish is painfully simple, it consists of only three meatballs in a tomato sauce topped with ricotta and parmesan cheese with some fried basil leaves.
The beef is luxurious, thick, and meaty paired with a wonderful savory sauce full of umami, and I love the little iron skillet that houses the dish, keeping everything blazing hot. I know I said a great appetizer dish has to be shareable, and it seems hard to share three meatballs, but all you need is half of a meatball to really fall in love with this dish.
I wish there were more meatballs, but a single bite is so satisfying that it’s all you need, no matter how big your appetite.
The Bottom Line:
A truly mind-blowing meatball.
4. Buffalo Blasts
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
I know, these things don’t look great, no angle or lighting is going to change that, but trust me, this dish is f*cking incredible. And I have this article to thank for trying it because otherwise, I would never order something called “Buffalo Blasts.”
The Buffalo Blast is essentially a fat chicken tender stuffed with cheese and buffalo sauce, fried, and served alongside more buffalo sauce and your dressing of choice. Think of the Buffalo Blasts like a clean boneless wing, it has all the buttery and tangy flavor you’d expect from a buffalo chicken wing, but with more meat, crispiness and an infusion of salty cheese in every bite.
The Bottom Line:
It’s essentially a cheese and buffalo sauce stuffed fried boneless wing with more meat and more flavor. Sounds confusing but also, delicious!
3. Roadside Sliders
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
If you’ve been to Cheesecake Factory a handful of times, you’ve probably on at least a few occasions thought about getting one of the Factory’s big meaty Glam-Burgers. We’ve all been there, and while the Glam-Burgers are maybe the best chain restaurant cheeseburgers ever, there is just too much stuff on the menu worth trying. We get it, a burger seems unceremonious when ordering from the compendium that is the CF menu.
The Roadside Sliders allow you to have a taste of that magic, without counting as a true meal. Win-win.
These sliders are tiny — about palm-sized — with a savory lacy patty that reminds me a bit of a smashed patty, topped with onions, pickles, ketchup and lettuce in a nice buttery lightly toasted bun. It’s the type of burger you can knock out in two bites, but be warned, it’s incredibly hard to not want more than one.
The Bottom Line:
A perfect little burger bite that captures some of the magic of the Factory’s bigger burgers but enables you to still order a main dish. We suggest you order it with cheese, because that doesn’t come stock.
2. Fried Macaroni and Cheese
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Yes, you’re right to be intrigued because this is indeed as good as it sounds. “Too highly ranked for mac and cheese” you say? You’re wrong — this is macaroni and cheese leveled up! The dish is essentially a ball of gooey mac and cheese covered in bread crumbs and fried. This adds what is usually a soft and chewy dish with textural crunch it desperately needs.
You know how the best mac and cheese has that oven-baked crust on top? This is that, only around the entire serving. All of this would be enough to make a truly great dish, but the Factory takes it a step further by laying the dish on top of a creamy marinara sauce which adds a lot of brightness to the dish.
The Bottom Line:
A must-order at Cheesecake Factory. It’s easily the best mac and cheese you’re going to find from an American chain restaurant.
1. Egg Roll Sampler
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Here it is people, the ultimate Cheesecake Factory appetizer. The Egg Roll Sampler is essentially a greatest hits package of all of Cheesecake Factory’s egg rolls, which luckily, are all delicious. Yes, there is a hierarchy, but I honestly think ordering the full sampler is the best way to go rather than the individual egg rolls.
Let’s start with my favorite: The Tex-Mex. This egg roll is stuffed with white meat chicken, corn, cilantro, peppers, and black beans paired with a mild and fresh-tasting avocado cream salsa. It’s a perfect bite.
Next up we have the Chicken Taquito, which is essentially a bite-sized chicken enchilada. The flavor is intense, and the chicken is juicy.
Moving onto the Avocado Egg Roll — you’ve got fresh buttery avocado with tangy sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, and cilantro served with the Tamarind Cashew sauce from the chicken lettuce wraps. Imagine all the deliciousness of luxurious avocado but with a crispy fried mouthfeel. It’s a perfect bite (and probably the dish that most contributed to the company’s rise to fame in the 1990s).
And finally, we have the Cheeseburger Egg Roll. This egg roll is the weak link but it’s still enjoyable. The roll features ground beef and cheese inside an egg roll with thousand-island-style dipping sauce. It tastes like, well, a cheeseburger in egg roll form. It’s high quality, beefy, and incredibly savory. Not my first choice, but a welcome addition.
The Bottom Line:
If you need one reason to hit up Cheesecake Factory, this perfect appetizer is it! Don’t stop at one order — get two!
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