133
The number of online votes Hatsune and SALT received each for Restaurant of the Year. In the end, Hatsune pulled through with a surge of paper ballots.

873
Number of paper ballots thrown out for cheating. One venue went as far as to fill out 57 ballots with fake names and phone numbers.

"When the M on the Bund team came to Beijing, I gave them a list of my 10 top restaurants and, after going to six of them, they all said that The Orchard was their number one."
Manuela Zoninsein, City Weekend dining columnist, upon hearing our Editor’s Pick for Best European

Blu Lobster, Beijing’s Most Extravagant restaurant of 2008, features very rare blue lobsters imported from France. Lobsters this color are literally one in a million.

True Romance
For Best Date Place, one reader voted for "my home," and another for "my living room." Get real!

48 Landslide Victory
The percentage of Best Japanese votes for Hatsune, giving them the most crushing win in the 2008 Readers’ Choice Awards. The Tree came close winning 43 percent of the vote for Best Beer Selection.

Edward Long, one of dianping.com’s founders, knows that 700,000 Chinese people can’t be wrong. "I only go to restaurants recommended by the hundreds of thousands of users on my website," he claims. That’s how he found Chuan Ban, our Editor’s Pick for Spiciest Restaurant. His verdict? "The taste is very authentic; it’s a little bit spicy, but really, really delicious."

36 The varieties of dim sum served at Din Tai Fung, winner of the Best Dim Sum category. Horizon, our editor's pick, boasts 30.

CW vs. the guidebooks
The only Reader's Choice Award winners also to appear on Fodor's Top 5 restaurants in Beijing? Alameda and Din Tai Fung.

135
The number of champagne bottles imbibed every Sunday at Senses during their prize-winning Bubbly Sundays Brunch.

5
The number of African restaurants in Beijing. This spring Ras Ethiopian Restaurant (editor pick for Best New Restaurant of the Year) joined Pili Pili, Casablanca and Kilimanjaro and South African The Pinotage, which just opened in Shunyi.

Outsourcing Your Votes
On our online survey, one participant wrote in almost every category that they had never been to Beijing before. Judging by the Indian country code in their phone number, we think some Indian restaurants may have enlisted outside help.

28
The number of herbs grown in The Orchard’s garden. Our Editor’s Pick for Best European also grows lettuce, tomatoes, blackberries, mulberries, persimmon, pomegranate, apples, pears and flowers.

Ducks on a Diet
Da Dong, which was once managed by Best Beijing Duck second place winner, Quanjude, serves ducks that are less than 40 percent fat. The average roast duck is around 57 percent fat.

Fast Food, Few Votes
Believe it or not, for Best Burger, McDonald's got one vote, as did Burger King out at Terminal 3.

Maybe Din Tai Fung should have been nominated for Most Family Friendly. "We go to Din Tai Fung for the baozi and the kids’ playroom," says Chef Too’s Chef Billy. "I mean, what’s not to love? An ayi watches over them, and they actually encourage the kids to run around and go crazy."

248
Number of bottles (some of which were three-liter Jeroblan variety!) sold at Block 8’s Champagne Rose Party in April.

"I first got into Western music in 1985 with breakdance. I later founded a heavy metal band and started organizing events. I later lived in Berlin, experiencing its live shows and parties. I love music that's really new to me."
-- Gouzi, boss of Yugong Yishan, Best Live Music winner

White Rabbit co-owners, Yang Bing and Thomas Gaestadius, were eating the Chinese "White Rabbit" candy when they instantly thought it was a good name for their club. Yang had happy childhood memories, and Gaestadius thought about Alice in Wonderland.

"What gets me most excited are smaller events at the right venue and with the right people. For me, the real excitement comes at White Rabbit when everyone is still dancing at 6 a.m."
-- Flo Eyseler of BaiCai, winner of Best Party Promoter

1
Number of online votes which separated MAO Live and Yugong Yishan in the Best Live Music category.

"Why'd readers choose us? It's a combination of ambiance, events, great drinks and most importantly the crowd. A stellar crowd makes a stellar venue." - Kristen Lum, Director of Communications Block 8

3
The number of write-in votes received by Maggie’s in the Best Place To Find a Date category, despite having been closed for six weeks at the time of voting.

"Really? Wow. We won third place for Best Place to Find a Date without even having a mini skirt night! Not too shabby."
-- Jenny Niven, Marketing Manager at The Bookworm

Winner for Best Beer Selection, The Tree, has 51 different kinds of beer on their menu. Second place, Beer Mania, has 63. Editor’s Pick, Saddle Cantina, has 5.