A Water Menu? Now That's Bazaar...

Last week Bryan and I had appetizers at The Bazaar for dinner – it was one of my "I'm-not-cooking-so-where-can-we-go" nights – and as we were perusing the menu, came across something very strange.

A WATER menu. Not only that, it was a long water menu. Filled with water bottles with a minimum $10 price tag, each with health and mineral promises more elaborate than the next. As a result, I snapped a few photos of the menu and asked my LAWeekly.com editor if I could write a story about it. I'm very glad I did, because so far it's the most viewed and most commented on story of the week. Not bad for a second post. As a newbie, I get really excited about the little things! :)

Check out the story at LAWeekly.com or directly below:

A Water Menu? Now That's Bazaar...

Last Friday, Forbes included The Bazaar by José Andrés as one of the Best New Restaurants in the Country. Located inside the SLS Hotel, that restaurant is famous for its over-the-top decor -- courtesy of designer Philippe Starck -- and extraordinary culinary experience. Now The Bazaar has taken its quirkiness to a new level with a water menu.

What this means is that you can hydrate yourself with a selection of limited edition, microbiologically pure water from a 500 million year old rock formation. Sound a bit elaborate? How about water drawn by monks from a still dating back to Roman times? This is no joke. The Bazaar takes its water menu very seriously, which is... well, a little bizarre. And considering the heritage of these seemingly magical elixirs, $10 a bottle seems like a bargain. Or not. What's next? A water sommelier? Don't laugh, because we asked and The Bazaar does not have a water sommelier. However, the hostess did ponder the notion, saying, "That's a really interesting idea..."

Until then, you can select your own water from The Bazaar's extensive menu. But with options like a Ferrari coachmaker-designed bottle to a famous "health tonic" dating back to 1888, how can you possibly choose?

Behold; a sampling of the water menu to guide your decision:

Wattwiller Still (500ml) - $10

Its pedigree dates back to Roman times, with the source ultimately controlled by the monks of the Abbey of Murbach in 735 AD. With salty aftertaste, this elite water delivers terrific calcium, magnesium, sulphate, and fluoride.

Speyside-Glenlivet Still (750ml) - $10

Speyside is drawn from the 500 million year old Braes of Glenlivet rock formation, situated inside the Crown Estate of Glenlivet. At a total mineral content of 58 mg/liter, it is light, slightly alkaline and virtually sodium-free and nitrate-free.

Lauretana Still (750ml) - $10

Lauretana proclaims this is the most microbiologically pure, natural drinking water known to the world. Bottled in a unique 750 ml clear glass bottle designed by the famous Ferrari coach-maker Pininfarina.

Gerolsteiner Sparkling (1000ml) - $12

Drinking Gerolsteiner is the closest thing to taking mineral supplements. It is in the naturally carbonated classification, with the signature low pH associated with most of the high-TDS "nat carbs," and has been a famous health tonic since 1888.

Vichy Catalan Sparkling (1000ml) - $12

Ancient water with an astonishing 3,052 milligrams per liter of Total Dissolved. There are no missing minerals or salts in Vichy. You get plenty of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, fluoride, and silica in this medicinal potion.