Food fight! Artisanal vs. junk food

Many of us moved to New York City precisely because it’s not the suburbs. There’s cool shit here—indie shops, the best restaurants on the planet and weird characters who don’t exist anywhere else. But something’s changing. When Dairy Queen opened in Manhattan last month, the lines stretched a block down 14th Street. A block. For ice cream. From one of the biggest chains around. And it wasn’t an isolated incident: Similar hysteria cropped up around the new Steak ’n Shake in midtown. So what the hell is going on? Do we prefer mall eats to lovingly crafted delicacies?

We're finding out which foods really come out on top in a blind taste test from our panel of (non–food-critic) volunteers in the office. Check out the results in our slide show below—you may be surprised to discover the victors of this most serious contest. Let the battle commence!