These days, we're all giving a little bit more thought to where we go when we eat out. These days, more than ever, eating out is a treat, and we don't want to get it wrong.

There remains, of course, the desire to do something different and to give a chance to someone trying something new, but still, we're a little more cautious. Everyone wants to keep the economy going, and we all enjoy a meal cooked for us, but it's the risk that bothers us. Which is why the Santa Rita/LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2009 really couldn't have come at a better time. No one wants to kick their eating-out habit and, if we all work together, we won't have to.

Today's voting coupon, on the page opposite, is the final chance for you to vote in the Santa Rita/LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2009. You can, as with previous weeks, vote as many times as you like -- albeit with a new coupon each time -- but all votes must be in by Tuesday.

Then, the LIFE readers' votes will be counted and added to the votes of members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) from around the country, after which a shortlist will be compiled. The Irish Restaurants Oscars' academy, which includes LIFE's Lucinda O'Sullivan and Ernie Whalley, will then pick the winners. Then, you could say, the real fun begins.

Unlike most awards, where the upshot is other people having fun and glory heaped upon them while the ordinary folk look on in envy, these awards have something for everyone. At the very least, even if you don't want to vote, you can use the voucher below to get 20 per cent off your next meal in a participating RAI restaurant, or, you can take the involvement a little further. By voting, your name is entered into three draws, each one a foodie treat. Over the three weeks of voting, there are two weekly prizes. One prize consists of a meal cooked for you and your friends by one of the LIFE magazine best celebrity chefs, which means anyone from Paul Rankin and Neven Maguire to Oliver Dunne or Kevin Dundon -- one of whom will be in the kitchen, slaving away just for you, if you win. And, if you're lucky enough to land Dylan McGrath, right, he may even throw in a tantrum for good measure.

The other weekly prize is two tickets to the awards' night in Dublin on May 13, a night regarded as the Oscars of the industry. The black-tie event will host the cream of Irish chefs, all of them mad to share their recipes with you, and will feature a fabulous meal cooked by six of Ireland's leading chefs, including Neven Maguire of MacNean House and Restaurant, Ross Lewis of Chapter One and Derry Clarke of l'Ecrivain.

Finally, the coupons from all three weeks will be entered into an overall draw for an amazing prize of a three-day trip for two to France's Bordeaux region, where you'll stay at the Chateau Magnol and enjoy wine tasting, exquisite meals and a visit to the famous St Emilion. So, not only do you get your say on who is cooking good food in Ireland, but these awards give something back, too.

And the Santa Rita/LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2009 give you back more than just a discounted dinner, or a chance at a great prize. The results are a reward to readers in themselves.

Now, as everyone keeps a closer eye on their money and takes more care over how they want to spend it, we're understandably more risk-averse. And, with the understanding that there's little more disappointing than a bad meal, the results of your votes should help you and other LIFE readers make good choices about where to spend your time and money.

With your votes, you contribute to an honest appraisal of who's doing good work with grub around the country and get something back in return, too, for the mere price of a stamp.

When dining out, it is always nice to have the sense of getting a little bit extra. A good meal is a delight in itself, but a bonus is always welcome. It doesn't have to be much -- a hand with your coat, an extra spud, an exquisite amuse bouche or a free post-prandial liqueur -- there's something in a generous gesture that makes us feel good. That good feeling, that sense of goodwill, brings us back time and again to the places we choose to visit for birthdays, first dates or for anniversaries.

And the Santa Rita/LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2009 are as much about treating the customer as rewarding the restaurateurs, chefs and foodie personalities. The prizes are the little bit extra, but the real bonus is the chance to branch out into places you haven't dared try before, to get a little bit adventurous with your disposable income without the dreaded risk. Because, these days, it's not only about watching the purse strings, it's about remembering that life goes on and that life is for living.

And here at LIFE, we're all about making sure you live it, but live it in the best way possible.

L

- Sarah Caden