In Tracy, CA, the (only) high school (at the time) is located right next to the (closed and repurposed, now) Heinz plant. The smells of cooking tomatoes and hot vinegar were EVERYWHERE! Not a day went by without being ravenously hungry by the end of 1st period. But, woe be to your paint and windshield - little baby droplets of vinegar/etc would condense out of the air and you'd have a fine mist deposited by the end of the day if you parked on that side of campus. Great! Now I'm hungry. THS is just to the left of the water tower and the railroad tracks running N/S in the photo.
Hello, The whole area was littered with different versions and had the Brown Derby name. The original one is what most think of when someone says, "Brown Derby" Restaurant. The Wilshire Blvd. Brown Derby building shaped like a “brown derby” hat. The original and most recognizable of The Brown Derby locations opened in 1926 and was located at 3427 Wilshire Blvd. The restaurant made famous, the well known salad called a “Cobb Salad.” It was our mom’s favorite. The salad was as fresh as if it came straight from the growing fields, with her favorite freshly cooked Bacon, made into bite size pieces. There was not bacon shaking from the small bottles we see today from the grocery store shelves. It was freshly cooked real bacon that was a part of the salad. Jnaki Back then, my brother and I did not eat salads, unless forced to eat it at someone else’s invitation dinner. But, my favorite in order of choices was the Tenderloin Steak Sandwich on Toast with French Fried Potatoes. My other choice on one other dinner was a Hot Beef Sandwich with Potatoes and Brown Gravy. All washed down with the Coca Cola provided. My brother usually got the same, but said he wanted to always come here for dinner. But, it was too far away and we only came for special celebrations. The extra plus factor was that my mom could not finish her salad, so, being the youngest child, I was given the extra chicken or bacon to add to my dinner plate. Yes! To make an impression of a nice dinner date, I took my girlfriend (soon to be my wife) to a nice dinner and movie at the Original Brown Derby Hat location. I had saved up for weeks and it was an impressive place. We parked the 1965 El Camino down the street in a curbside parking place. The salad must have stuck with both of us. The Cobb Salad ingredients were used by us by the time we were adults. Now, salads and fresh ingredients were a part of our lives. Easy to prepare, easy to eat and simple to use the ingredients for just about any meal or a mini smorgasbord set up. We got the idea as the restaurant closed later. It was a staple of our salad presentations. But, over time, we used it for a delicious burrito filling and/or taco fixings, later on in our late 20-30 something days. Fresh ingredients for a fabulous home cooked, “South of Orange County Burrito” for random quick and tasty dinners. Over the years, this combination of the ingredients for the original Cobb Salad have been the mainstays of our diet at various other restaurants. Not that they advertise Cobb Salads, but some restaurants throw in Lime seasoning and it has the same ingredients, and it became a meal in itself. It was usually called a Lime/Chicken Combo or South Of The Border Salad. If anyone goes to a place called Urban Plates, you can make your own from all of the fresh ingredients on the serving area. A modern version of a cafeteria line, with specialties included, but individual orders can be added. YRMV All based on a simple salad from the archives of the Los Angeles Brown Derby Restaurant on Wilshire Blvd.
The Jalopy Journal
