Back in February, we told you about a new experimental service at Google called Tablescape. The app, which at the time served as a stylized funnel for content tied to Google+, encouraged users to upload "foodographs" (photos of food) with specialized categories like "naughty," "cheesy," and "vegetarian" among others. It would also show featured content and special foodography tips for users.

Just a few months later, though, Tablescape was unceremoniously closed, the experiment ostensibly over. But in the update sent to testers, Google was sure to note the following:

This doesn't mean we're giving up on food photography, you may see the influence of Tablescape in future apps.

And it looks like that hint is now becoming a reality - Google is apparently testing a new feature in Maps for uploading food-related photos.

The feature, which is rolling out to local guides "level 3 and above" first, will apparently alert users when Maps has found a newly-captured photo taken at a food-related place on their device, and offer to attach that photo to a location for other users to see.

The email sent out to local guides includes this link to Google support under the "Learn more" button. The page mentions notifications that "show up after you've taken a photo in public places that Google thinks are interesting to other people, like restaurants and bars," but stops short of giving the feature a name or specifying food photos.

So while it's not a full-fledged app, it seems like Google has found a smart and useful way to keep food photography in the fold after all.

Thanks, anons!