It was a tough competition, with top three finalists sitting neck-and-neck most of the race, but in the end The Patio Bar & Grill pulled ahead as the readers' choice for Best of Fish Fry in Port Washington and Saukville.

The other top two contenders included: in second place, New Port Shores; in third place, Victor's Pier Street Shanty.

"I’m just glad everybody enjoys our fish, we try to do our best and evidently we are," Junior Uselding of The Patio said. Uselding purchased and remodeled the building two summers ago, adding the patio and expanding the dining area inside, and opening on July 1, 2010.

"I've always liked the building and the location," he said.

In determining the winner, Patch considered a number of items, including poll votes, business listing ratings, article comments and Facebook or Twitter comments.

New Port Shores and The Patio Bar & Grill both generated a similar amount of positive buzz surrounding their fish fry. Both received six 5-star ratings on their listings since Wednesday, and both had about an equal number of article comments supporting each establisment.

So, in the end, the poll votes took it. The final poll numbers when the poll closed at 9 a.m. Friday were (note: this poll is not scientific):

• The Patio had 2,677 votes — or 70 percent;
• New Port Shores had 1,065 votes — 28 percent; 
• Victor's Pier Street had 49 votes — or 1 percent.

Congrats to the winners, and sign on to Patch on Monday to vote as we select the Readers' Choice for best day care.