Chicago Tribune - Chicago tap vs. bottled water? Guess who won?

By Monica Eng

As more restaurants turn away from bottled water because of its impact on the environment, Chicago's good old faucet juice is coming back into vogue. So much so that local vegan restaurant The Balanced Kitchen (6263 N McCormick Blvd.; 773-463-1085) hosted a water tasting this morning pitting Chicago's own tap water against Dasani, Ice Mountain and Aquafina. Water3

I stopped by the tasting and was the first to do the blind test. I judged each cup of water (A to D) on clarity, nose, body, taste and finish. Three tasted slightly sweet, bland and round but one had a slight mineral flavor, a thinner body and a clean refreshing finish. It was cup C. I told the tasting organizer and held my breath for the answer and I swear to Mayor Daley, it was good Chicago sink juice. Woohoo!

(Still, we all know that come summertime the nose on that water might release some slightly more fishy notes).

The tasting was done as part of a kick off for the "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign in which green-minded restaurateurs are joining the likes of Alice Waters and Mario Batali in banning bottled water from their restaurants in favor of tap. The rationale is that bottled water creates garbage and produces carbon emmissions in their transport. The campaign is asking local restaurants to sign a pledge not to serve bottled water.

Chicago's "Think" campaign organizer Noelle Janka, of Boston-based Corporate Accountability International, has been calling local restaurants and getting warm response from some but the cold shoulder from others. "It is a big revenue source for restaurants and so some just don't want to give it up, but mostly we have been getting a great response," she said. Check the Web site for more on the campaign.

Restaurants already signed on include Clarke's Diner (930 W. Belmont Ave.; 773-348-5988), Heartland Cafe (7000 N. Glenwood Ave.; 773-465-8005) and Ina's (1235 W. Randolph St. 312-226-8227).

This return to Chicago's tap water kind of feels like everything old is new again, but there are other trends on the water scene that feel newer. They include the house-carbonated (you can also get still) tap water at A Mano and Osteria Via Stato. Other spots like BomBon Cafe (38 S. Ashland Ave.; 312-733-8717) perks up its H20 with herbs or various fruit that we also find delightful.

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