We certainly hope you enjoy your time in Boston. We know that the Boston restaurant scene can be a little hard to navigate for out-of-towners, so we wanted to provide you with a list of suggestions (borne entirely of our own strong opinions and biases).

For a really nice night out and great meal, we could suggest Hammersley's Bistro in the South End, No. 9 Park on Beacon Hill, or Rialto in Cambridge. They all offer continental but eclectic menus and will run in excess of $50 per person (including a glass of wine and tip). Reservations are necessary at those spots. Mantra in the downtown will also be a special night out (and expensive), but the atmosphere is much "younger" and trendier than the other three.

If you want to venture into the North End (Boston's historic Italian neighborhood), one reasonable and reliable standby is Maurizio's. Sage is more expensive and more upscale.

For sushi, try Kaya on Boylston Street or Sakurabana in the downtown. (Sakurabana is probably better but less convenient to the conference site.) Pho Pasteur on Newbury is a cheap, reliable Vietnamese noodle spot. The standard choices for seafood are Turner Fisheries in Copley Square, Legal Seafood at many locations, and the Atlantic Fish Company on Boylston (listed in descending order of price). All offer pretty standard but typically high quality seafood. Helmand in East Cambridge is fairly reasonable and offers very good Afghan food. (It is also owned by Hamid Karzai's family.) Lala Rohk on Beacon Hill is respectable Turkish fare. If you want pizza, go to New York or Chicago.

If you do not want to plan ahead but simply want to head to an area of town with a lot of restaurants, Newbury Street and Harvard Square might be your best bets. Good luck and bon appetit!