My Kat Life

As a Bay Area native that has never lived in San Francisco (I didn’t start making treks into the city until I moved home from college since my parents don’t like driving, period), I’ve always been told to “be careful while in the Tenderloin” or avoid the area altogether. The neighborhood has its problems with homelessness and drugs, but other neighborhoods in SF do too, and there are (restaurant) gems in the neighborhood like Aria Korean Tapas and Brenda’s French Soul Food among others. The Black Cat, located at Eddy and Leavenworth Streets pays homage to the neighborhood’s rich jazz history with a new cocktail menu as of late May inspired by famous jazz cities. Hoodline’s article on the neighborhood is worth a read.

Stepping inside Black Cat off the street, you’re met with an elegant and classic interior; my thoughts flashed to the jazz age, but also Hotel Transylvania (the large rustic chandelier). I took a peak downstairs before the rest of our group arrived; it was dimly lit, like a speakeasy. They have a regular schedule of live jazz performances — take a look at the calendar on Black Cat’s website for more information.

I was joined by several bloggers for a night of delectable bites by Tu David Phu and a trip around the world via cocktails inspired by major jazz cities like SF, Paris, Copenhagen, Rio de Janiero, Havana, Tokyo, and Las Vegas. Major props to Chris Amirault, who concocted the new cocktail program. I need to return for the food, cocktails, and live jazz soon!

I immediately fell in love with the cocktail menus at our table — the cities, drink names, and ingredients were presented in the form of a passport that also included tidbits on the history of jazz in each city. If only I could get this many stamps in my passport in one night!

I loved the small bites we sampled, which included kimchi deviled eggs; they were the perfect accompaniment to our cocktails. I’ll be honest, I don’t quite remember what the second plate was (potato balls?), but either way, I ate a couple too many of each that night. Those eggs!! Next time I’ll take the whole platter to myself, thank you!

Stops 1 & 2:
Paris: Clement VSOP, Banane de Brasil, mint, lime, champagne
Copenhagen: Michter’s bourbon & rye, lemon, egg white, angostura, Black Cat glögg (a mulled Swedish/Icelandic wine)

Stops 3 & 4:
Rio de Janeiro: [tiki cocktail] Avua Amburana & Avua Prata, ginger, guava puree, lime, coffee angostura
San Francisco: Bar Sol pisco, Chinese 5 spice, pineapple gomme, eg white, lime, amontillado sherry

Stop 5:
In true black cat fashion, this Kat went into stealth mode (ok fine, I was pretty obvious with my DSLR, but so was the individual who I later found out is the general manager!) shooting one of the bartenders preparing the Tokyo drink: Sipsmith gin, sake, lemon green tea cordial, aloe foam. This was one of my favorites of the night since it was light and refreshing; plus, I really liked the presentation.

Stops 6 & 7:
Havana: Appleton I2 rum, lime, apricot eau de vie, cane syrup, pineapple, vanilla
Las Vegas: [double old fashioned] Hibiki Harmony, Isle of Skye, tobacco cordial, benedictine, Miracle Mile Red Eye bitters, citrus oil
The Mambo Cubano definitely gave me the itch to travel to Cuba and I enjoyed the double old fashioned more than I thought I would! With all of these cocktails, there were many different flavors and scents in play that all combined to make a sophisticated and enjoyable cocktail that suits the jazzy vibes of the Black Cat.

Stop 8:
New Orleans: mezcal, lime, passionfruit, orange, cinnamon coconut cream, absinthe. This cocktail was a fun one to shoot as the drink was being prepared. I bring you #spicebae by our fabulous bartender!

Stop 9:
New York City: vodka, cafe moka, applewood smoke, green chartreuse & juniper cream. What an energizing ending to our evening! Chris himself smoked the cocktail and served us these delicious cups of joe. I was surprised how tasty this coffee cocktail was! The coffee and other ingredients complemented each other well. I really wouldn’t mind if this was my morning cup of joe! *winkwink* I especially loved the design of the ceramic cup — the Anthora cup is an icon of NYC’s Greek cafes and the cup made a comeback a few years ago.

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On a tangent to this post:
Back in May, KQED’s Bay Curious podcast covered the topic on why the Tenderloin hasn’t gentrified; the article is worth a read to learn more about the Tenderloin and how it came to be. It leaves me happy to know that those who are trying to get back on their feet have at least one neighborhood that has housing resources available to them.