I'm suffering! Unfortunately I don't know the origin of the pine nuts. I bought some pesto in a grocery store in London. My symptoms came on the next day and lasted 6 days. Is it safe to eat pine nuts? What is going on?

I wish I had seen your post sooner. I just went to Berlin last weekend and had the best German food of my life at Englebecken in Charlottenburg. Here's the menu: http://www.engelbecken.de/menu.pdf. I actually wound up eating there twice in 3 days after a disappointing dinner at Dikeman, so we tried most of the menu and could not fault it. My favorites were the white herring served with a really creamy potato/apple/pickle salad, and the wiener schnitzle (it's HUGE) with a totally different but equally as divine potato salad. The beer and wine lists are fantastic as well. Please go, EVERYONE! It's incredible.

Ditto the wine shop at the Turkish market. We stumbled into Les Caves Weine during a downpour and came out with three fantastic German wines which we enjoyed in our hotel over the weekend. Great service and selection.

I wish I had seen your post sooner. I just went to Berlin last weekend and had the best German food of my life at Englebecken in Charlottenburg. Here's the menu: http://www.engelbecken.de/menu.pdf. I actually wound up eating there twice in 3 days after a disappointing dinner at Dikeman, so we tried most of the menu and could not fault it. My favorites were the white herring served with a really creamy potato/apple/pickle salad, and the wiener schnitzle (it's HUGE) with a totally different but equally as divine potato salad. The beer and wine lists are fantastic as well. Please go, EVERYONE! It's incredible.

I wish I had seen your post sooner. I just went to Berlin last weekend and had the best German food of my life at Englebecken in Charlottenburg. Here's the menu: http://www.engelbecken.de/menu.pdf. I actually wound up eating there twice in 3 days after a disappointing dinner at Dikeman, so we tried most of the menu and could not fault it. My favorites were the white herring served with a really creamy potato/apple/pickle salad, and the wiener schnitzle (it's HUGE) with a totally different but equally as divine potato salad. The beer and wine lists are fantastic as well. Please go, EVERYONE! It's incredible.

Just went to Tayyabs last Saturday night. We reserved for 9:30pm and got seated at 10:00pm. Do not attempt that line! We went on Wednesday night and left after standing in it for 45 minutes without moving. It wrapped around the entire place twice on both occasions. I am happy to say that it was worth the hype and the wait. I agree with many of the comments. The tandoori lamb chops are incredible. Not much substance to them but lots of flavour. The fish masala is nearly as delicious, but could have been more moist and seasoned. Everyone at my table adored the dry meat and sag aloo. The latter was the best I've ever had. The naan was kind of greasy and dried out- definitely not cooked to order. That was my main complaint. I highly recommend Tayyabs. I was really impressed. Perhaps take the others' advice and go at lunch, but definitely book ahead and expect to wait!

Thanks for all the recommendations! I just wanted to say that today I found a fantastic bloody mary at Bentley's Oyster Bar.

Oo, actually I don't like the one at Harvey Nicks. It's fresh and everything, but not spicy at all. Maybe I had a dud, or maybe I just like it really spicy. I'll try the gastropubs, thanks!

What's a bloody caesar? I'm intrigued.

I'm looking for the best bloody marys in London. For me it's all about the spice and the fresh lemon juice. So far I've discovered great ones at The Engineer, The Duke of York in Marylebone, and the restaurant at The National Portrait Gallery. Does anyone else have a recommendation?

These aren't pushing the boundaries, but I've recently been to Benares thought it was pretty great how they manipulated the usual Indian dishes. Plus, I had the best black dal I've ever had in my life. So good. Also the cocktails are delicious. Try the sour cherry margarita for sure if you go. Another thought: have you been to Roka?

Interesting suggestions Mr Gimlet. I see L'Ambassade de L'Ile just got a star last month. The menu is really fish-heavy, but I like the looks.

Hey, by the way, where's your favorite gimlet in town? Or is that just a catchy name?

What's the deal with Providores Browners? I've only been for wine and snacks and found it strange that all the wine was from New Zealand. Is there a restaurant upstairs?

I'm trying to think of an equivalent to WD-50 (in NYC) here in London and can't come up with anything. I asked a similar question once and was told to try Michael Moore. What a joke! The china looks like someone puffy painted on it, and I don't think it's meant to be ironic. The chef comes around to every single table and chats you up like that's the reason you cam in the first place. So annoying. The food- nah. Moore's tartare with quail egg was a level of rawness that made me quite uncomfortable. No textures or flavors to balance the dish. Just raw meat and a tiny egg on a plate. Creative! Everything else was unmemorable, good or bad. So don't go there!

Sorry, I've got nothing. Hope someone else does.

I love the tasting menu at Pied a Terre and am turned off by the boredom of hotel restaurant tasting menus (read: Gordon Ramsey!). Can anyone recommend a fabulous, fun, palate-bending tasting menu in London? I'm looking for a great evening out with my husband. He's worked hard and I don't want to reward him with a room full of bankers.

The best burger in London is at a pub in Belsize Park called The Washington. Apparently the new owner knows his burgers! You can order it with vintage cheddar, back bacon, barbeque sauce, a combination, or plain. It comes with chips and bloody mary sauce (spicy ketchup). The meat is quite peppery, but it's no frills, and you aren't allowed to order it cooked to specification. I've had a half-dozen since moving to the neighborhood. Bonus: they serve Sierra Nevada on tap!

If you can't make it to the NW area though, I recommend Byron. There are a couple locations now and they have french fries (in addition to chips), onion rings, Brooklyn Lager or Sierra Nevada on the menu. I like the Byron Burger for its special sauce, but the cheeseburger is hard to beat as well.

My favorite bowl of chili is on S.E. Belmont (at 33rd St.) at a place called Laughing Planet. It's for real bean people (vegetarian also), so if you're looking for Texan chili this is not the right place. But if you want spicy, fresh, and beany...go.