There’s Something in the Water at Ray’s & Stark Bar

What if I were to tell you there was a place where moms-to-be and alcohol abstainers alike could enjoy a flight of drinks with dinner? You’ll leave feeling refreshed, euphoric, and not the least bit guilty. Well, leave it to the most famous water sommelier in the country to make it happen!

This isn’t a mirage, there is actually something in the water at Ray’s & Stark Bar!

Meet the Water Sommelier

Did you know there is actually a sommelier for water?? Meet Martin Riese, the leading certified water sommelier in the United States. He educated me on the PH levels and TDS (Total dissolved solids) in all of that fancy water we’re drinking.

Side Note: LA Drinking water as of a year ago is 1000 TDS, which although not harmful, rates average to awful according to the World Health Organization. When ranking TDS, you’re looking for less is more.

Ray’s & Stark Bar has always been my go-to place for cocktails after a late afternoon of wandering around LACMA so I never realized before they were home to a 43-page water list along with all those superb suds.

This allows you to choose based on mineral content and a water flight is an encouraging way to educate your palate. Plus you get to do it out of a fancy wine glass.

According to Minerality, you can think of a water with a high TDS as a complex red, while a low TDS is comparable to a crisp white.

So for one night, forgo the wine and go for a bottle of Berg from Canada instead. It has a low TDS of just 10 mg and a $25 price tag to match. Trust the water sommelier on this one…

Try it side by side with Skilde from Denmark at 410 mg to see how it measures up ($12).

What are you Eating

The menu from Executive Chef Fernando Darin is constantly being updated. So you can expert variations on some of my favorite dishes below:

Currently a SQUID INK TAGLIARINI with Octopus, the below is a Chitarra with calamari, garlic, ginger-lemongrass water, Calabrian chili, Red Boat fish sauce, lime, and Thai basil.

Crispy Fried Broccoli, charred to perfection and topped with thinly sliced pieces of Garrotxa cheese, which will soon become your favorite goat variety.

Banana Cognac; Just the right way to end the evening if you’re looking for something that’s not too sweet. It’s banana bread pudding with caramel sauce, brûlée banana, and vanilla cognac ice cream.