Barstool Chicago Fancy Dinner Draft Grades

Round 1 Pick 1: French Onion Soup, Eddie

French Onion is good. I don't think it's first overall. I actually don't think it's the fanciest soup. I would say a nice seafood bisque or cream of crab soup (shoutout my fellow Marylanders) is much fancier than a french onion, which can be quite messy. It's a fine pick, not first overall.

Grade: B-

Round 1 Pick 2: Caviar, Frankie

Probably the fanciest food there is. Most people don't really like caviar, but it is undeniably very fancy. So a very strong pick from Frankie, even though he doesn't like it.

Grade: A+

Round 1 Pick 3: Bone-In Ribeye, Chief

Ribeye is the second fanciest steak in my opinion (behind filet), but I think Ribeye is a better steak overall. Solid pick from Chief.

Grade: A

Round 1 Pick 4: Porterhouse Steak, Dave

I'm not a huge fan of T-bone steaks. They're hard to eat around. But I can't deny that they are fancy. If they are cooked well, they are incredible. Sometimes, the price tag is a little daunting though.

Grade: A-

Round 1 Pick 5: Lobster Bisque, Carl

Very strong pick. Any seafood bisque is fancy. I like a nice shrimp bisque, but I see the value in a lobster bisque. Many people would see this as the fanciest soup.

Grade: A

Round 2 Pick 1: Surf and Turf, Carl

So the problem is, I think over the past few years, surf and turf has gone down in fanciness. You can get it at Applebees for 19.99. So it is fancy, but it may not be as fancy as Carl would have liked.

Grade: A-

Round 2 Pick 2: Lobster Cargot, Dave

I've never heard of this, but a quick google search has told me that it is the lobster version of buffalo chicken dip. I'd guess it's pretty good. The only problem is, there could be a lot of people like me, who have never even heard of it. Therefore, I'm not sure it will get as many picks as it may deserve.

Grade: B

Round 2 Pick 3: Mashed Potatoes, Chief

This is a very unique pick. In all reality, mashed potatoes are not a fancy side. But if you prepare them the right way, they can be extremely fancy. However, I don't think they are fancier than a baked potato, especially when paired with a steak. I'm interested to see how this pick will be received by others. 

Grade: B

Round 2 Pick 4: Wagu Beef, Frankie

This steak is so fancy it's not even at most restaurants. It's almost too fancy in my opinion. People will know it but have most likely never had it. This could potentially hurt Frankie. 

Grade: A-

Round 2 Pick 5: Shrimp Cocktail, Eddie

I really don't like cocktail sauce, just not my favorite. However, a shrimp cocktail is a very popular and fancy item. I do agree with what Chief said though, that the fact that shrimp cocktail is more of a charity fundraiser/gala item and not at a fancy restaurant. Good pick though.

Grade: A-

Round 3 Pick 1: Lobster Mac & Cheese, Eddie

I don't think lobster mac and cheese is really that fancy. Mac & Cheese really cannot be considered that fancy to me. I also don't really see this as a side dish, but that's neither here nor there because nobody questioned it.

Grade: B-

Round 3 Pick 2: Bathroom Attendants, Frankie

The only place I've ever been with a bathroom attendant was The Plaza hotel in New York City. Needless to say, that was a fancy hotel. It's incredible and unnecessary. But needless to say, it's incredibly fancy.

Grade: A

Round 3 Pick 3: Burrata Salad, Chief

What can I say, Chief knows fancy. Solid pick.

Grade: A

Round 3 Pick 4: Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Dave

In my opinion, this is a bad pick. Most people dislike Brussel sprouts. They are fancy, but I think people aren't gonna relate with this pick very well. 

Grade: C+

Round 3 Pick 5: Foie Gras, Carl

Again we have gotten to the category of maybe being too fancy. Most people probably haven't ever had, which doesn't help to garner votes. 

Grade: C+

Round 4 Pick 1: Truffle Mac & Cheese, Carl

Truffles are fancy, but mac and cheese is not. So overall the pick is ok.

Grade: B

Round 4 Pick 2: Acting like you understand the wine menu, Dave

Solid pick. Very relatable in any fancy situation is just not knowing how to act. Although doing this may not exactly be fancy itself, it comes with the fine dining experience

Grade: A-

Round 4 Pick 3: Crabcake, Chief

Not an appetizer. This is a meal, right? Like a nice jumbo lump crabcake. Is this an appetizer in other places of the country? Shoutout to Jimmy's seafood though, the best crabcake in the world. However I have to give this a good grade because crabcakes are awesome, but I would consider the appetizer to be "crab balls".

Grade: A

Round 4 Pick 4: Caeser Salad with Anchovies, Frankie

Yeah, this is pretty fancy. I don't have a lot of commentary on it, it's a caesar salad.

Grade: B+

Round 4 Pick 5: Filet Mignon, Eddie

Amazing value in the fourth round. I personally think filet is a bit overrated since it's really expensive and very small. But, people think that it's fancy. Very stong pick.

Grade: A+

Round 5 Pick 1: Crumb Sweeper, Eddie

I've simply never even heard of this. It actually sounds more like a burden than something that is helpful. But hey maybe I'm not fancy enough to know what it's like. It sounds like you are being treated like royalty. 

Grade: A

Round 5 Pick 2: Creamed Spinach, Frankie

I don't really think this would even be considered fancy. You can just buy this is a can right? Everyone else liked the pick, but I'm a bit skeptical. 

Grade: C+

Round 5 Pick 3: Getting your food plated, Chief

This is something else I've never really experienced, so I guess I've just never been to a fancy restaurant. This sounds fine, but also a bit time-consuming. I can just plate stuff myself.

Grade: B

Round 5 Pick 4: Garden Salad, Dave

Garden salads aren't fancy in the slightest, they're available at virtually every restaurant. Not a great pick from Dave.

Grade: D

Round 5 Pick 5: The presence of a sommelier, Carl

Having someone that is solely there to explain how fancy their wine is, is extremely fancy. Good pick from Carl. 

Very even draft, but I think there is a clear winner this week.

Predicted winner: Eddie

Predicted loser: WSD