Burger lovers provided lots of answers to the question “Who has Iowa’s Best Burger?” After counting the votes, the top ten restaurants for 2012 are ready to move on to the next level: the selection of Iowa’s Best Burger, which will be announced the first week of May.

Among the top 10 is Rube’s Steakhouse, Montour.

In its third year, Iowa’s Best Burger contest received over 4,250 nominations that named 212 restaurants. The Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association counted the nominations, and the results are (in alphabetical order):

Ankeny Diner, Ankeny

Coon Bowl III, Coon Rapids

Drake Diner, Des Moines

Farmer’s Kitchen, Atlantic

Ferg’s Lounge & My Tighe’s Restaurant, Grand Junction

PerXactly’s Bar and Grill, Maquoketa

Rosco’s, Norwalk

Rube’s Steakhouse, Montour

Sac City Bowling Center, Sac City

The Ritz, Arnold’s Park

“The Top Ten nominations are scattered throughout the state,” says Elaine Utesch, a Correctionville farmer who is chairman of the Iowa Beef Industry Council. “The nominations covered restaurants over 130 Iowa communities.

That response shows that Iowans and Iowa restaurants know that burgers will always be a popular item. Restaurants love to make burgers and their customers love to eat them.”

“Although we won’t announce Iowa’s Best Burger until the first week of May, we encourage everyone to stop at one of the Top Ten restaurants for a burger,” Utesch says. “Iowans have a very special place in their heart for burgers. The burger is the allAmerican classic served in almost every restaurant from the local caf to the finest white tablecloth establishment.”

Nominations for the contest were made from Feb. 13 through March 16, 2012. The Top Ten restaurants were the top vote-getters when all on-line, paper and faxed ballots were counted.

The top ten restaurants will be visited by a secret panel of judges who will evaluate the nominee’s hamburgers by proper temperature for serving a ground beef patty, appearance and taste. The winner will be named the first week of May as a kick-off to May Beef Month.

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a media prize package that will include an on-site live radio announcement. All Top Ten restaurants will receive a certificate.

Ankeny Diner, Ankeny

Coon Bowl III, Coon Rapids

Drake Diner, Des Moines

Farmer’s Kitchen, Atlantic

Ferg’s Lounge & My Tighe’s Restaurant, Grand Junction

PerXactly’s Bar and Grill, Maquoketa

Rosco’s, Norwalk

Rube’s Steakhouse, Montour

Sac City Bowling Center, Sac City

The Ritz, Arnold’s Park

“The Top Ten nominations are scattered throughout the state,” says Elaine Utesch, a Correctionville farmer who is chairman of the Iowa Beef Industry Council. “The nominations covered restaurants over 130 Iowa communities.

That response shows that Iowans and Iowa restaurants know that burgers will always be a popular item. Restaurants love to make burgers and their customers love to eat them.”

“Although we won’t announce Iowa’s Best Burger until the first week of May, we encourage everyone to stop at one of the Top Ten restaurants for a burger,” Utesch says. “Iowans have a very special place in their heart for burgers. The burger is the allAmerican classic served in almost every restaurant from the local caf to the finest white tablecloth establishment.”

Nominations for the contest were made from Feb. 13 through March 16, 2012. The Top Ten restaurants were the top vote-getters when all on-line, paper and faxed ballots were counted.

The top ten restaurants will be visited by a secret panel of judges who will evaluate the nominee’s hamburgers by proper temperature for serving a ground beef patty, appearance and taste. The winner will be named the first week of May as a kick-off to May Beef Month, and will receive a plaque and

a media prize package that will include an on-site live radio announcement. All Top Ten restaurants will receive a certificate.

To continue to learn more about the contest, you can visit HYPERLINK ““http://www.iabeef.org”>www.iabeef.org“ www.iabeef.org or “friend” the Iowa Beef Council Facebook page. You’ll also find a map showing the locations of the Top Ten restaurants.

Last year, 3,500 nominations for the Best Burger title were received. The winner was the Rusty Duck in Dexter, while Sac County Cattle Company of Sac City won the inaugural event in 2010.