Tap, tap, tap

Tap Water is the new Bottled Water.

Reversing the trend of the last decade or so — when anyone who was anyone disdained tap water in favor of fancy-schmancy bottled water served at restaurants at exorbitant markups, some trendy restaurants are going back to the tap.

At a small but growing number of sustainably inclined Bay Area restaurants, bottled water has become as much of an outcast as farmed salmon and out-of-season tomatoes. Instead of bottled water, diners now are served free carafes of — gasp! — tap water. It’s filtered and comes still or sparkling, fizzed up by a soda-fountain-style carbonating machine.

Incanto, in San Francisco’s Noe Valley, and Poggio, in Sausalito, pioneered the trend four years ago. But for several years, no other restaurants wanted to give up popular — and profitable — bottled water.

Then Nopa, the San Francisco North of Panhandle hot spot, took the plunge when it opened last summer. And so did Ici, the Berkeley ice cream boutique.

And now, Chez Panisse, the godmother of the sustainability movement, is jumping on board, serving East Bay MUD’s finest, filtered and bubbly in carafes approved by Alice Waters herself.

“Our whole goal of sustainability means using as little energy as we have to. Shipping bottles of water from Italy doesn’t make sense,” says Mike Kossa-Rienzi, general manager of Chez Panisse. Management hopes to complete the switch from Santa Lucia acqua con gaz to house-made sparkling water this week at both the restaurant and upstairs cafe. Chez Panisse stopped offering bottled still water last summer.

It actually makes a tremendous amount of sense, both environmentally and as a service.  And, frankly, I’m more than happy to see the question of which over-priced bottle of water I really ought to choose if I’m not going to look like a bumpkin go down the drain.

(via J-Walk)