If you weren't already sick of the tasting-menu trend, you're about to be. We've just caught wind of a water -- as in, the stuff you get for free out of the tap -- tasting menu available now at Los Angeles' Ray's and Stark Bar. Because according to the LA Times, "Glasses of curated cold water are one of the hottest things showing up on menus."
See also: - Billboard Sucks Moisture Out of the Air to Make Safe Drinking Water
You can thank Mr. Martin Riese for the water-tasting menu at the eatery Esquire named one of the best new restaurants of 2011. In addition to heading up their water program, Riese also is the general manager.
And as much as we roll our eyes at the idea, how else was he supposed to put his $2,600 water sommelier degree to good use?
According to an interview with Alcademics, the restaurant's water program menu features 20 different mineral waters gathered from around the world. Similar to a wine menu, the water menu looks like a book filled with lots of water-related bullshit information including a picture of the bottle (very important), mineral content, a chart of how the water will taste, a story, where the spring is located and why the water is special.
If you're buying into this whole sourcing water thing, you might be interested to know that Riese also has his own brand of bottled water, aptly named Beverly Hills 9OH2O, "the world's first sommelier-crafted water." This water of the 1 percent is supposedly considered "the champagne of water" and comes from Northern California. It's supposed to taste "silky smooth, incredibly crisp and exceptionally fresh."
We're guessing it tastes like water.
