Restaurant Dieter Müller

The menu at Dieter Müller’s eponymous restaurant, in the elegant Schlosshotel Lerbach just outside of Cologne, reflects the chef’s travels and myriad influences. A dish may be distinctively German, showcasing Black Forest ham or incorporating pumpkin seed oil and robust German mustard, but often they hint at flavors from farther afield. Müller adds chorizo, guacamole, curry, and lemongrass to his creations and, surprisingly, it works.

Dieter Müller, Schlosshotel Lerbac, Lerbacher Weg 51465 Bergisch Gladbach 49 02 202 20 0, www.schlosshotellerbach.com.

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Zur Letzten Instanz

This isn’t the finest restaurant in Germany, or even the fanciest. But it is the place to go when you want a true taste of Berlin, served in a historic restaurant that has been in business since 1621. Expect braised pork knuckle, cabbage and pickled herring with remoulade, all washed down with hearty German beer. It’s all best enjoyed by the massive fireplace in the taproom, where such luminaries as Napoleon and Gorbachev are said to have enjoyed a stein.

Zur Letzten Instanz, Waisenstrasse 14-16 Mitte, U-bahn 2 Klosterstrasse, Berlin, 242-5528, www.zurletzteninstanz.de

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