Chalk it up to childlike wonder or San Francisco's Peter Pan syndrome, but the city's fascination with grown-up versions of favorite childhood games is in full swing. In addition to established spots like Mission Bowling and relative newcomers like Golden Gate Tap Room, there's the arcade bar en route to the Castro this summer, plus the Mission's hotly-anticipated mini-golf bar and restaurant concept, Urban Putt.
The Kickstart-funded, steampunk-themed mini-golf spot is right around the corner, with a newly announced opening date of May 5th. As we mentioned back in January, Dane Boryta of Bottle Cap will be creating retro Americana-style fare in the kitchen of the restaurant, which has been dubbed UP at Urban Putt. Tablehopper now has menu details, which include a selection of deep-dish pizzas, starters like poutine, empanadas and shrimp n' grits, and mains that span everything from grilled salmon to ribs and beans to a chicken meatball sub. (T-Hop has the menu here.)
Food will also be available on the putting green, though it will be more portable by design: think corn dogs, pretzel twists, and fried chicken and waffle skewers. A menu of bar bites will also be available, including fried chicken thighs, burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches (here's the bar bites menu here).
As suspected, a planned cocktail program by the Bon Vivants has been postponed indefinitely while Urban Putt continues to navigate the challenge of acquiring a full liquor license. But there will be plenty of beer and wine on hand courtesy of bar manager Colin Carroll (Elixir Saloon, Paul K Restaurant), who's got a lineup of local brews as well as some low-proof cocktails in the works.
The space is designed by architect Matt Hollis, who also worked on Mission Bowling Club, though most of the attention is sure to land on the inventive creations of the designers behind the green's many holes. These include Jules Verne-inspired themes like a submarines hole, plus playful takes on Day of the Dead, the Transamerica Building and much, much more, all open for your putting pleasure come May.
· An Update and First Look at Urban Putt's Menus [Tablehopper]
· Bottle Cap Chef Dane Boryta To Helm UP @ Urban Putt [~ ESF ~]