Built somewhere around 1920 of thick beams as rough as railroad ties and wood siding, the old barbecue-style steakhouse stands essentially unchanged, separated by chain-link fence from a frenetic gaggle of homebound commuters and by the stain of time and soot from neighboring stucco villas. It's old. It's rugged, and it's friendly.

"There's no pretense here," says manager Terri Christiansen of the place she's nurtured for 30 years. "The people who come in are great. They come in shorts from the beach or ties from work. But the ties are soon taken off."

Christiansen says there are regulars whose arrivals remind her what day it is, and most any newcomer, after about three times, is likely to be called by name. "If you come in alone, we'll put you near to us, so we can talk."

As commuters round the bend of 17 just outside of town, a landmark plume of smoke from the oakwood barbecue wafts upward from the kitchen, hazing the leafy hill above. Tending the fire are two cooks. Depending on what day it is, there's Chris Hickey, who joined The Cats 30 years ago as a high school junior, and there's Aurelio Valdez, a comparative newcomer with 10 years under his barbecue fork. They serve up 16-ounce New York steaks and 14-ounce rib-eye steaks ($21.95), and an 8-ounce filet ($26.95) with baked potatoes and salad. Ribs and chops come with a honey-butter glaze. Tri-tip and chicken can be smeared in a thick, tomato-based sauce, and children under 12 may have most of it in half portions for $6.95.

"We make all of our sauces and dressings here," says Christiansen, with the pride of one who has grown up with her job. And she's close-mouthed about trade secrets. "Anyone who asks for our honey butter recipe will just have to settle for coming here to taste it," she adds, grinning.

Christiansen, 55, manages The Cats for her mother, Diane Ogilvie, 84, who also owns the French restaurant Pigalle in downtown Los Gatos and is half-owner of the Hotel Los Gatos, with a lesser interest in its Kuleto's restaurant.

The Cats first became a restaurant in 1967 when Toni Crowley, now 84 and living in Eureka, left Henry's High Life in San Jose where she was a waitress, bought the building and brought with her Henry's recipes for the honey butter and Roquefort dressing used today. She also brought the restaurant's unusual routine of taking guests' orders as soon as they arrive, so that after a wait, they may be ushered to their seats where the salads are waiting and the cook already is working on the order.

Ogilvie and her late husband, Dr. Bruce Ogilvie, bought the restaurant in the early 1970s. She and Crowley, who stayed on as a waitress, developed a song-and-dance act that they performed nightly for years.

The tradition of live entertainment lives on. Tuesday through Saturday, Bay Area talent from blues groups to vocalists entertain in the bar. On Sundays, anyone interested in taking the stage may be the focus for an evening simply by registering beforehand with bartender Chris Bridgford. Bridgford obligingly mixes well drinks six nights each week. His prices are a lure: $3.50 to $4.50, martinis included.

A family tradition also lives on. From grandmother Ogilvie and daughter Christiansen, participation in the business has expanded to include granddaughters Kim, 20, a student at UC-Santa Barbara, and Jodi, 17, a senior at Los Gatos High School.

The Cats, 17533 Santa Cruz Highway (Highway 17), Los Gatos. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 4:30 p.m. Call 408.354.4020.