Like fashion, food trends come in waves. Someone, somewhere gets ahold of a decent idea and it ripples through the industry. Chefs try to lay claim, but unlike fashion, it's pretty hard to identify who made the first grilled pizza (first dibs claim: George Germon at Al Forno in Providence) or molten lava cake (super-chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten). It's not like the little black dress from Chanel; a trend in food can't be traced back to a single origin that easily.

In a way, this conundrum makes food trends more interesting. Sure, there are megatrends (seasonal, farm-to-table, slow food, sustainability) that influence the entire industry — as well they should. But it's the little things that pop up from plate to plate that are so fun to follow.

Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)
Maxim Prime features deviled eggs with truffle and caviar.
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Deviled eggs — in lots of incarnations — are by far the most prevalent trend in the city right now. They're on more menus than any appetizer I've seen in a long while: JCT Kitchen blankets them in Benton's country ham; Home serves deviled duck eggs with a poached tomato, another with braised beef; Maxim Prime's "millionaires" are stuffed with a semi-traditional filling, but then topped with black and white truffles and gold leaf. Cakes & Ale in Decatur serves them up traditionally with relish and a side of bread-and-butter pickles — all house-made. Wade through all the mammoth meat options at Holeman & Finch Public House and you'll get a threesome of the yellow-and-white stuffed goodies. It's a proliferation of protein, via the chicken (and sometimes the duck). Chalk it up to the popularity of Southern cuisine and the gastropub — dressing up a deviled egg pays homage to both.

Speaking of Southern: moon pies are back, big and beautifully house-made. Cakes & Ale's signature goodies, shown off Martha Stewart-style under a glass cake stand on the restaurant's bar, are a gingery set of big, soft cookies filled with a tangy buttercream called phatty cakes. Home's dessert list offers a duo of soft chocolate cookies filled with buttercream served with a Coke float and garnished with cardamom ice cream.

I noticed on a recent trip to New York that cheesecake has made its way out of the deli and on to some of that city's swankier dining addresses. BLT Steak's creamy, tangy version was topped with rhubarb and a tiny scoop of raspberry sorbet; Kobe Club's was pure New York creaminess.

Doughnuts have spawned a following, too, whether spiced and glazed with candied pistachio and lavender honey at BLT Steak, or the simple serving that shows up at Craft, where you can smother them in caramel sauce and brown butter ice cream. Back in Atlanta, Holeman & Finch follows suit with a trio of the stacked-and-sugared fried treats on its dessert menu. At JCT Kitchen, they've been souped up with Meyer lemon and espresso ice cream.

Now if only someone would give old-fashioned chocolate pudding a comeback.

Taverna Fiorentina debuts

What do you get when you combine an Italian, a Spaniard and a Frenchman under one roof? A Tuscan restaurant, of course. Owner Paolo Tondo (Italian), along with partner Jasmin Reyes (Spanish) and executive chef Frank Ouvrard (French), has opened Taverna Fiorentina, an Italian restaurant specializing in Tuscan flavor and attitude. You won't find crostino di baccala (toast with a salty cod spread) or wild boar on too many menus in Atlanta, Italian or otherwise. But linguine with mussels and clams in white wine sauce and duck tortelloni with red sauce are welcome favorites. 3324 Cobb Parkway S.E., Atlanta. 770-272-9825; www.tavernafiorentina.com.

Get into the conversation: Visit my blog at www.ajc.com/tabletalk. If your restaurant is new, closing or undergoing changes, or you have a food-related event, we want to hear from you. Send the information — including your name, phone number, e-mail and Web site if you have one — to mford@ajc.com.