URBAN PUTT... WILL IT BE AN ACE IN THE HOLE?

San Francisco is no stranger to hipster/millennial trends from flannel to food trucks and bowling as kitschy foodie fun. We seem to make every effort to jump on that new bandwagon and ride it till the next one comes along. One new thing coming down the pike in the kitsch arena is putt putt golf combined with classic cocktails and upgraded food classics all in an indoor setting. Yes I'm talking about Urban Putt. The place doesn't even open till April 18th but it has already garnered a lots of attention from a host of media outlets--EaterSF, SFGate, SFist and Business Journal--to name a few. Color me intrigued, at least, as I have been a fan of putt putt since way back in the day when, believe it or not there actually used to be professional players and they showed their matches on television. You can check them out here and here--though I think they prefer the term "mini-golf professionals". Either way, it was always a fun time to head out with the folks for a relatively inexpensive night of fun.

Nowadays of course, you can't just have only a putt putt course it has to be something more to get the folks in to see and play. Much like the new bowling places around town that serve upscale beer and cocktails with chef created food stuffs. See places like Lucky Strike and Mission Bowling Club. Though for reference there is still one old school bowling alley in the Presidio if you want to harken back to those days. Sadly, bowling isn't an expensive night out anymore even at the Presidio place. Thus I do wonder what Urban Putt will have to offer and how much they are going to offer it at.

TARTINE BAKERY IN SAN FRANCISCO AND HOW TO AVOID THE LINES

On the corner of 18th and Guerrero in San Francisco, Tartine Bakery is an unassuming spot that you might almost miss if it weren't for the lines that seem to form around this place. Since it first opened years ago it has been a hit with pretty much everyone. And now all these years and 3 cookbooks later it still manages to pack folks in on an almost daily basis. I vaguely remember going here way back around the time it first opened. My first impressions were the food was kind of pricey and the bread seemed a little on the burnt crispy side. Who knew then folks would crave this California-nized French bakery and it's ways. Certainly not me, and I was even less impressed as the lines grew. I hate lines, I don't need a croissant that badly to wait half an hour for it. There are many other places in this foodie town to get bread things to nosh. Be that as it may, I found myself in the neighborhood on a random Thursday and as I walked by I noticed THERE WAS NO LINE?! 

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS TO CONSUME

The Fizzary on Haight Street has got that forgotten cola flavor you've been missing

• Thrillist says these are SF's best under the radar burgers, now you know. 
• Here are the Bay Area restaurants in the semi-finals of the James Beard Awards. 
• Pearl's Burgers on Market and 6th is closing, but we'll still have (small) Post Street. 
• San Francisco restaurant visits went up last year. Tech money doesn't only go to over priced housing. 
• Successful restaurants can disappear in San Francisco-Lazy Bear takes over Hi Lo BBQ. 
• First they served toast, then burgers now The Mill will roll out pizza Mondays in March. 
• Old San Francisco restaurants don't go away, they just get made over to look like every other place in town. 
• The beer joints keep on coming in San Francisco as Hopwater opens on Nob Hill. 
• Ice cream isn't really my thing but Zagat says these are 7 great places for soft serve. 

4505 MEATS "BEST DAMN CHEESEBURGER"....BUT IS IT REALLY?

Proclamations of any kind need to have some kind of believability in them for to stand up to even the tiniest bit of scrutiny. Usually though, when places say they are the best they always seem to come with qualifiers like in this town or on this block or when there's a full moon, whatever. Problem is there is no legalese fine print under these statements and we are just supposed to accept them as truth and in the case of food give something a try. Thing is though, with food, it's very hard to be "the best" when peoples tastes in food vary so wildly from thing to thing. And in a town like San Francisco that's so all about food, if you claim to be the best, then you better damn well be sure or folks are gonna' tell ya' you are not.

It's one of the things that brought me to the Ferry Plaza on this bright Saturday mid-morning to hit up 4505 Meats and give their "Best Damn Cheeseburger" a try.

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS

Caffeine free Diet Mtn Dew?!! I know, you are thinking what's the point but if you are trying to cut back the caffeine and sugar it's a good alternative. Sadly, they only sell this in the Southeast for some reason and have no plans to expand distribution--believe me I've tried to change their minds. Till then I'll have to rely on the kindness of strangers to ship me some out West. 

• No one knows crabs like M. Bauer, here's his list of best places to get some in town.
• Great, another burger in San Francisco that costs $12 and doesn't even come with fries from Pal's Takeaway. When is enough enough?
• There's a new chocolate shop in the Financial District. Socola Chocolates has just opened doors on Folsom between 1st and 2nd, in case you totally missed that Valentines thing.
• THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!! Or at least the ones who read 7x7 and voted for their Bay Area food favorites--here's the full rundown of the "winners".
• Chris Cosentino is expanding into SOMA for a new restaurant. Your move Mr. Chiarello.
• San Franciscans like to wait in lines, a sad fact I wish would go away. SFWeekly lists some of the worst lines, but then all lines are the worst. 
• HEY!! DOGPATCH HAS IT'S OWN PIZZA PLACE NOW! First the breweries moved in now the pizza joints--definitely becoming a real bro' kind of hood.  
• Beer/bbq feast for foodies in SF with a master cicerone--sigh--that's why it's $75. 
• Zagat's favorite crispy dishes in San Francisco. The Cavaliers fish and chips are good. 
• Here's what farmers are trying to do for the food during the rain shortage. 

FOOD ROAD TRIP: NORTH CAROLINA BBQ THE PULLED PORK EDITION

BBQ, barbecue, bar-b-que--it has almost as many spellings as it does variations across the country. From smoking to saucing to types of meat, depending on where you are will determine what kind you get. Arguments about which is better are also fervently argued across state lines and blogs a plenty. I'm not planning on arguing the merits of one over the other. I've pretty much had them all and they each offer different flavors and styles that can be appreciated on their own merits.

I'll say upfront I prefer the vinegary North Carolina version and if given a choice I'll go with that over others first. If there is no choice I take what's offered and if the food is good, then great, I'll enjoy it. While on a recent visit back home I had the chance to indulge in the pulled pork vinegar version and took the opportunity to check out 3 different places in Durham, NC. And even though they are in the same town and doing basically the same thing, there were still slight differences to ones I had. Thus, the same style can even have variations and it's own fans and detractors. Which is why, like many food things, it really is a matter of taste and you just need to try stuff and see what might like. Anyway, here are the 3 plates I had and my thoughts on what I got.

FOOD ROAD TRIP NORTH CAROLINA : LONG JOHNS

Going back to one's hometown can sometimes fall somewhere between drudgery and super fun time, mine usually drag someplace in between. When you live 3000 miles away just getting through the journey can be a chore. But one of the things I look forward to is trying some of the foods that are specific to North Carolina and the South that you just can't get when you aren't there. Of course that is also a double edge sword as they say, cause while you get to indulge in them they also are not always the healthiest of things and sometimes it is hard not to put on a pound (or two). I mean it's the South where gravy is a beverage and butter is a condiment. I try not to think about it too much though since I'm only around a week or so and I can just work it off when I get back--hopefully.

The first such item search out is the long john, which is basically a Southern version of an eclair, just without the chocolate and instead of a custard filling it's more of a fluffy butter cream. One of the best original places we would always get them was Davis Bakery. They had the best in town, but sadly the bakery closed years ago and several other companies have taken up the mantle to try and make them with varying degrees of success. Here is the one that stood out for me.

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS TO CONSUME

inside Reposado in Palo Alto. The seafood enchiladas were quite amazing.

7x7 Magazine has their taste tested list of 100 things to try before you die...because you need another reminder life is short.

The late Red Vic space is now a food start-up marketplace in Upper Haight. Worth checking out for sure. 

When you need a slice or whole pizza right now!! Thrillist lets you know what's near your house with this list of neighborhood joints. 

Off The Grid just gets bigger and bigger. Now they are taking over North Berkeley on Fridays.

Oreo cookie glazed bacon...I don't know what more to say. 

7x7 says these are 5 new places to check out this month...though I'm sure you savvy foodies already knew about them. 

Open Table is testing a new mobile app payment system in town...because this is, you know, San Francisco. 

SFGate looks at 21 hot dining trends in the Bay Area....I agree that some of them need to go..who's with me?

No more excuses for back snacking, this vending machine gives you green.  Surprised this didn't happen here first. 

SHOW DOGS FINE SAUSAGES THESE DOGS BIT BACK....AND IT WASN'T PLEASANT

Mid Market, that sometimes seedy, sometimes sketchy part of town between 5th and 8th streets is currently going through what folks call "a transitional period." Old abandoned buildings are finally being taken down and others are built in their place bringing a different vibe to the area. The recent opening of Twitter's offices there has also pushed the process along quicker as of late. 4 years ago it was still a risk to move into the area and Show Dogs took that chance and is still there today.

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD USE

Carnitas and chicken tacos from El Ranchito taco truck, these are the original food trucks and serve industrial areas of town you won't find the new fangled foodie truck guys. 

If you've spent all your money on rent Thrillist helps out with a list of places to get free food in San Francisco...and no we don't mean the soup kitchen at Glide Memorial!

Oh Chipotle..HA..HA! You are so funny! Doesn't it just make you want to eat there?

Zuppa closed up shop this past week. I vaguely remember enjoying them about 6 years ago.

Eat where local chefs eat....or not.

6 new places to drink and eat!! Seems to be a never-ending phrase these days.

With Starbucks remodeling all their locations Peete's begins its own makeover. 

Make Michael Mina's tailgate chili for your Superbowl party...then charge $22 for a bowl of it.

It's been a bad month for Joes as institutions eventually reach their end point. So long Joe's of Westlake and so long Joe's Cable Car.

Because you can never have enough basil, oregano and cinnamon there's a new spice place in town--Spice Ace.

If you are having trouble getting a State Bird Provisions reservation (still!!) here's an insiders guide to the place...if that helps.