Photograph by George Sakkestad
John Davis and the Sliders join the nightly musical lineup at The Cats.
Nightly entertainment adds spice to an old favorite spot
They've served down-home food for decades
By Suzanne Cristallo
This Friday night, they'll be swigging their longnecks to swing, spicing their salads with Motown, chomping their ribs to rock and polishing it all off with blues and brandy. Weekends are big these days for stomping and chomping at The Cats, a famous old saloon and eatery on Highway 17, a few miles from Los Gatos proper. They come in their Hummers and BMWs, their beat-up Toyotas and on big motorcycles to feast on barbecue fare, but mostly to relax and be entertained by live groups. And there's usually someone they know when they get there.
"When you come to The Cats, there are no airs to be put on," says manager Terry Christiansen, pointing out that sports stars and horseshoers, millionaires and hitch-hikers are "just guys together at the bar. It's a down-home place, and we treat everyone the same." She sets the tone and often resumes the chat from their last visit with customers who have been coming in for years.
At 50, Christiansen is a familiar sight, with the unmistakable look of an athlete that comes not just from hefting the huge baked potatoes she serves with ponderous steaks, chicken and ribs, but from her years of running and training as a triathlete.
A lifelong Los Gatan, she earned a degree from San Jose State University in history, but chose instead to spend the 25 years since then with The Cats. Talk of the old place brings a softness to her voice as she speaks of the folks who help her run it and the aura the place holds for them all. There's Rick Sottosanto, the first to greet diners at the door, who takes orders with country charm. It's his easygoing voice that invites people calling on the phone to "just come on in and enjoy yourself."
There's also Chris Hickey, a solid standby who for 22 years has endured with equanimity the hot flames of the oakwood barbecue and the fast talk of regulars. These days he's rounding out his repertoire with a little front-of-the-house serving while turning over the bulk of the barbecue work to Aurelio Valdez and "new guy Tom." And, of course, there are the girls--five of them--all related. Two are Christiansen's daughters, and three are those of her brother, Doug Ogilvie. Their ages are 9 to 17, and they vie for chances to help at the family restaurant owned by Grandma and Grandpa [Diane and Bruce] Ogilvie, who live just up the hill behind gates guarded by Leo and Leona, the concrete cats who have become town landmarks.
The Cats is a place where the fare has been the same for 20 years. They've added some salmon and lamb, but the basic meat entrees are the same, accompanied by the requisite beans, salsa and potato, each with its hefty scoop of butter.
Entertainment has always been a part of the evening, but lately the roster of live groups has broadened to include every night of the week with a different entertainer: Friday nights it's the Frankie Ramos Band, while Saturday features Mike Northcutt strumming his acoustic guitar and engaging the audience in the action.
"It's a real comfortable place to be," Christiansen says with a smile.
The Cats Restaurant, 17533 Santa Cruz Highway, Los Gatos. Bar open Tues.Sun. at 4:30 p.m., dinner served beginning 5:30 p.m., entertainment nightly at 7:30 p.m. Closed Mon. 354-4020.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
