Baum + Whiteman has been a restaurant consulting group since the ’70s. The dudes know a few things about the hospitality biz, so when the company releases its annual food and dining trends for the coming year, restaurateurs tend to listen. (Or razz B+W for predicting “tongue” meat would become huge.)

Restaurateurs may want to hide under the covers after reading the No. 1 predicted trend for 2010: New priorities for beaten-up consumers.  Check out this strong language:

Read More “Baum + Whiteman’s No. 1 Food and Dining Trend for 2010? Lots of Economic Fear.” »

This is a fun list, and I agree with many of the Tribune’s picks (even if I’d argue that “foam” and “molecular gastronomy” are two branches of the same tree and don’t deserve separate listings). The top 10 offenders are culled from chef and consultant interviews conducted by the paper.

I think I’d add long, overindulgent tasting menus that cost $100 (or more) as well as small plates (which, technically, may be a ’90s trend but which exploded this decade), Restaurant Weeks, and purposely noisy restaurants.

What about you, readers? What trends would you include on the list?

One by one, we’re running through the 50 restaurants that made the cut on this year’s Young & Hungry Dining Guide. If you have visited the day’s featured restaurant, let us know what you think. If you’re planning to visit for the first time, tell us about your meal when you return.

From the moment you walk in the door at Evo Bistro, you’re made to feel like, somehow, you’re late to the party—and you better catch up fast. That’s easy to do at this noisy, often overstuffed Mediterranean tapas outlet, where, with a house-issued debit card, you can help yourself to one-, three-, or five-ounce pours from the 50-plus wines available by the glass. But a buzz would just be a buzz if it weren’t for chef Driss Zahidi, whose menu draws from North Africa, Spain, Italy, France, and the Middle East. Despite the menu’s apparent randomness, Zahidi does an amazing job at connecting the dots between cuisines, from Spanish chorizo to grilled North African merguez to Italian risotto with chorizo, shrimp, and pecorino. Even more impressive: Zahidi displays a deft hand with each cuisine, as if his scientific background in chemical engineering has allowed him to break down every last Mediterranean dish and reconstruct it back in McLean.

Evo Bistro, 1313 Old Chain Bridge Road, McLean, (703) 288-4422