<<Finding trusted advice is hard; wouldn’t it be great if there was a way for me to get these recommendations all the time, everywhere I go?>>
http://www.google.com/help/places/index.html

Interesting, it uses the 'like' format of Buzz: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MR9VMZuXMeY/TOHS-Y3G3PI/AAAAAAAAAeA/kQf0tUjQoBg/s1600/home%2Bresto.jpg (friends ratings could actually show up in Buzz). For some reason, this like icon is also Hotpot's favicon http://imgur.com/hnK6I.png

You have two identities on Hotpot:
- you're 'almost anonymous' for everyone (a nickname and an optional profile picture that can't be your Google Profile pic)
- you're your Google Profile for your friends

I can't think of another product that think of Google Profiles as "private" and there must be something wrong them if they can't be used somehow for public profiles. Facebook would let users adjust their privacy settings for this application so they decide what is shared with their friends, friends of friends, groups of friends and everyone. Google asks users to redefine who their friends are for every new products and asks them build unique profiles for some applications. Also, Google Contacts doesn't recognize 2-way friendship so you'll have to re-friends your Google Contacts Friends in Hotpot.

Even though this isn't directly related to Hotpot, do you want Google to offer privacy settings in Profile and two-way friendship in Contacts?