In recent months, readers have logged hundreds of votes and comments sharing their favorite restaurants in our weekly Chowdown Showdown feature and Chowdown polls.

Thank you to everyone who has participated. The Chowdown Showdown simply is meant to be a fun way for readers to share their favorite restaurants for certain entrees and for others to get ideas on places worth checking out.

Moving forward, we have decided to take on a different format for voting in the Chowdown. 

First off, voting now will be stretched over the course of two weeks instead of five days. This will allow us enough time to notify the businesses that have been chosen as finalists. 

We will kick off this new format Wednesday. Voting for finalists will continue through next Tuesday.

The restaurants with the most comments will be placed in a poll Wednesday morning.

As has been the case in the past, we will take votes through the poll. This poll is not scientific, and moving forward, it will not be the sole consideration in choosing a winner.

The winner will be determined based on poll results, comments on this page and on ratings and reviews on Patch Places. Hint: The ratings and reviews count extra.

We also will take into account: 

• The types of reviews left on the businesses’ Patch.com Places' listing. The more detailed, the better. Detailed means the comment or review contains at least one specific supporting statement for the positive review. "The food is good" is not detailed. "The ingredients always are fresh, and the service is timely" is detailed. 
• The type of feedback we receive over social media

After weighing all of these categories, the five McHenry County Patch.com editors will vote for which finalist should win that Chowdown. The champion will be announced in a Patch.com article.

Be sure to check back Wednesday morning for latest Chowdown!