In the face of an ever-changing San Francisco, the Tenderloin is one of the neighborhoods that retains the artistic grit that has been its calling card since the days of noir writer Dashiell Hammett. It’s exactly that spirit and history that attracted restaurateur Fritz Quattlebaum to the area for his latest venture, Black Cat, a bar, restaurant and music venue that celebrates the richness of the ’loin.

“This place could only exist in the Tenderloin,” says Quattlebaum proudly. “Black Cat evolved out of this neighborhood and this space. The legacy of this neighborhood is so rich culturally, architecturally. It’s the oldest part of the city, and there’s a vibe with that.”

Black Cat’s design by Craige Walters pays homage to that vibe in everything from the smoky wall finishes and photo murals featuring neighborhood landmarks to the graffitied mirrors behind the bars and the luxuriously murky velvet on the banquettes.

“I wanted to make people feel like they were in an undiscovered place that could have been there since the ’40s,” says Walters of his design concept for the former Chinese restaurant and retail space. “We imagined a place that may have been boarded up for years: Then you took off the boards, and here it was.”

Black Cat’s two floors include a stage in the cellar for resident jazz musicians, although Quattlebaum and Walters also envision it being available for poetry readings and burlesque performances.

“It’s that supper club environment,” Quattlebaum says. “You can come late at night and get good food, you can have great cocktails or a bottle of Champagne, hang out with your friends and listen to good music in your night at Black Cat. I’ve always thought about it in those terms: ‘One night at Black Cat …’”

— Tony Bravo, tbravo@sfchronicle.com

Black Cat 400 Eddy St., S.F. (415) 358-1999. www.blackcatsf.com

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