As I linger with the people staying on a bit at the NMRT social who ordered dnner, I feel compelled to talk about food.

It is said that paying for food at a conference is simply criminal. The trick is to find out where and when all the big vendor and committee receptions are, and treat yourself to your own smorgasborg… no expense receipts to worry about, no group checks to fuss and bother over.

However, if you really like to scout out the local fare, and you don’t mind spending a little money, it’s nice to know where to look. You could go with the old standbys of say, Zagat’s or the restaurant section of Fodor’s. However, if you want the real skinny and the local dirt on good eats, and a fun way to avoid tourist trap restaurants, I would recommend Yelp.

For instance, this morning I wanted tea, and because I’m a tea freak, I wanted good tea. I whipped out my Blackberry, hit the Yelp site, and searched for “tea” in “Philadelphia, PA.” I spent all morning in a lovely tea shop called Tbar, far from the tourist traps, enjoying tea and free wifi.

Yelp is foodie (and everything else, really) social networking at it’s finest. While I was there, I wrote up a review on the Tbar’s Yelp listing, waxing poetic about how wonderful it was for future customers to read. You should consider posting your reviews of the different restaurants and other places you visit while at conference, or anywhere you travel, and especially your favorite hometown haunts.

So, if you’re looking for good tea, hit Tbar on South 12th Street, about a block and a half south of Market St. And be sure to have some fun on Yelp!