Bottled Water Menu: Mary Pilon At The Bazaar By Jose Andres

Food blogs are reeling over Wall Street Journal business reporter Mary Pilon's picture of a "Bottled Water Menu" from an unnamed "restaurant in Los Angeles."

Classy lady that she is, Pilon didn't name the joint she was gently mocking. But we knew instantly that she had supped at Jose Andres' Bazaar at the SLS Hotel, one of LA's most celebrated restaurants. Frequently seen on "Entourage" and in paparazzi photos, the upscale tapas-style restaurant has been a hot spot since it opened in 2008.

The water menu was introduced in 2010, and when LA Weekly last checked in on it, the choices included "ancient" water sources from Roman times, a selection of waters across a wide mineral spectrum, and a type that is said to be "the most microbiologically pure, natural drinking water known to the world."

Yes, we admit this a bit absurd, but The Bazaar in Los Angeles isn't the only restaurant that claims there's more to water besides "sparkling" and "still."

Across the pond, the famed London hotel Claridge's was the focus of an ABC Nightline Bottled-Water-Menu expose. "We're a business," Gill Christophers told ABC, and "we wouldn't do this unless there was a demand for it."

Earlier this year, the European Parliament participated in the first ever water-tasting event titled, 'Discover the Natural Mineral Waters of Europe,' reports Glass in China. "Just like coffee or wine, water is a complex beverage," stated attendee Andreas Larsson (World’s Best Sommelier, 2007).

Photo courtesy of Mary Pilon. Check out Tumblr, Twitter, and the Wall Street Journal for more of Pilon's work.