I enjoyed running the Best Restaurant/Bar for Burgers contest in May again. Last year’s winner, the Village Green, did not even make it out of the first round. I suspect this year’s winner, The Old Fashioned, will have a tough challenge next year with the new AJ Bombers that will open soon.

I also want to extend congrats to Kristin Wolf, the randomly drawn voter who won a $50 gift certificate to The Old Fashioned and a $10 iTunes gift card.

Here’s the recap:

(MADISON, Wis.)–The Old Fashioned has the best burgers in the city, according to the results of a month-long poll conducted by EatDrinkMadison.com in conjunction with National Hamburger Month in May.

The downtown restaurant won with 57 percent of the vote, topping the two other finalists, Blue Moon Bar and Grill (28 percent) and Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry (15 percent). Last year’s winner, the Village Green, did not make it out of the first round of voting, in which all Madison-area establishments were eligible.

The Old Fashioned will receive a certificate to mark its honor. It carried Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. in the voting process.

The Blue Moon, which also took second place in 2010, earned the majority in Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, Georgia and New York. Dotty Dumpling’s, which won the first round of voting and ended up third last year, captured the hearts of Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

I had a great time running the contest last month for the restaurant/bar with the best burger(s) in the Madison area. The Village Green won with 59 percent of the vote, followed by the Blue Moon (34 percent), Dotty Dumpling’s (five percent) and the Great Dane (two percent). The four finalists received the most nominations in the first round, in which all restaurants and bars were eligible.

The Village Green received a certificate indicating its distinction.

Although Dotty Dumpling’s took the initial lead, it soon became a back-and-forth race between the Blue Moon and the Village Green, as each held the lead three separate times.

It’s interesting to note the changing tastes of various demographics. Many longtime (older) Madisonians love the burgers at the Plaza, but it did not receive any votes in the first round. That same group would likely not have voted for the Great Dane, which was shown to be a favorite among the relatively younger crowd that voted.

Outside Wisconsin, the Village Green carried Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Arizona, Oklahoma, Tennessee and South Carolina, while Dotty Dumpling’s won California, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio and New York and the Blue Moon took Mississippi and North Carolina.

Also, congratulations once again to Stephanie Byrnes of Madison. We picked one voter at random for a prize pack containing a Bucky Book, $15 Starbucks gift card and $50 gift certificate to the winning restaurant.