Brown Derby,
Los Angeles, 1949
I love to eat out. Always have and always will. Growing up, my family regularly went out to dinner on Friday and Saturday nights and out to breakfast on Sunday morning. And if you count going to McDonalds for lunch – going out -we did that too – a lot!
These days whenever possible I avoid chain restaurants and fast food stands and instead go for the vintage homespun-and-family-run dining experiences wherever I go. Perhaps you’re familiar with my two faves -Vince’s Spaghetti – “The World’s Largest Spaghetti House” – serving in my hometown of Ontario, California since 1945. And, of course there’s the granddaddy of all cafeterias, Clifton’s – “Dine Free Unless Delighted” – downtown Los Angeles at 7th and Broadway since 1935. In fact, I was at Clifton’s just yesterday. On the way out, to further enhance and prolong that special Clifton’s spell, I bought a three layer Chocolate banana crème cake, yes a whole cake, and took it to go. They have a bakery there too!
I do, however, occasionally slip and secretly enjoy an early morning egg mc muffin on the way to a funky flea market or smart yard sale in hopes of finding slides to share with you such as this amazing shot of the Brown Derby.
This is indeed the giant stucco hat that became the most famous restaurant in the world. Built in 1926, it was the first of the four Brown Derby restaurants and the only one shaped like its namesake hat. The location was perfect- smack dab in the middle of the most fashionable neighborhood in Los Angeles -right across the street from the legendary Ambassador Hotel and ever-so-elegant Coconut Grove nightclub. Lucy led Fred and Ethel to the Brown Derby when they “came to Hollywood.”
By the mid-60s the glamour had faded and the novelty of eating a Cobb Salad inside a hat had all but worn off. The Brown Derby was just kind of sitting there baking in the sun – not much more than a relic form the early days of Hollywood.
Finally in the late 70s a developer came along, staked his claim and said he was going to demo the Derby to build a two story mini-mall. Preservations went mad. After going back and forth the developer agreed to preserve stucco derby by putting it on the roof of his little mini-mall. And that’s what he did.
Today the original Brown Derby could be called the Burnt Orange Derby because it is – but its not. I don’t know what it’s called. But I do know it’s a cigarette smoke-filled Korean restaurant pro-decorated in a bamboo-ish theme. I am so not above feasting on bul go ki and kim chi while breathing in second hand smoke swirling around the inside of a big, giant, famous hat! Are you? Um, pass the kim chi please!
Here’s to the Brown Derby, the Burnt Orange Derby and YOU!
This slide brings back a specific memory. A sad one. One of the Derby’s demise. I had always planned on going there soon upon my arrival in L. A. in the late 70s but, as usual, I didn’t quite get around to it. Then, one day, the doors to the Derby closed. Still, there was the promise that the building would remain. Finally, quietly, the building was brought down in the dark of night and that was the end of it. The sign at the top remained at the “sign graveyard” next to the Pasadena freeway for a while but soon that disappeared too. Now, all we have are photographs, like this one…… and memories. Thanks for sharing this one. It’s a great shot of a Los Angeles landmark and a fond memory of what was.
Dave
Hi,
What memories! I never went to the Brown Derby, but Vince’s Spaghetti House holds fond memories! When I was little, my dad was a business machine (adding machines and typewriters) repairman and salesman. He serviced many dairies out in Ontario. I loved it when he saved those calls for the end of the day. He would pack us (Mom, my little brother, and I) into the car and head out to Ontario (which seemed forever for us kids from Anaheim). We waited in the car while he did his business and we wished he hurried due to the dairy aromas, and we wanted to get to Vince’s for some yummy spaghetti and garlic bread. Once at Vince’s, we sat right down since it was a week day and we were early enough to beat the crowds! I was always amazed that it was only $4.65 for soup, salad (we usually ordered blue cheese dressing, but they only had Italian which we actually enjoyed), a huge plate of spaghetti, 2 huge pieces of the best garlic bread in the world, and a dish of spumoni for dessert. In my college years, I tried to take a friend for the Vince’s experience but ended up taking the 60 freeway the wrong way. We got there another time and ended up waiting for their delicious spaghetti. I think it’s time for another trip!
Thanks for my morning chuckle. I love this town! And thanks for bringing out what to further love.
I ate at the brown derby as a very little girl – it was white frilly socks and patent leather mary jane’s worthy. likely part of an expedition downtown for a good sale at bullock’s wilshire or the never-to-be-missed “robinson’s month end” sale. lucy’s encounter with “wuh-IIII kissed bill holden!” is a fine way to remember the hat.
there’s a vince’s spaghetti on hawthorne in torrance (http://www.vinces-spaghetti.com/about.htm)… here’s a blurb from the “about” section on their website:
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After 25 years of working with the family, Vince and his brothers agreed to go their separate ways; Vince sold his interest in the Ontario location and moved with his wife Louise, daughter Rosemary (affectionately known as DeeDee), and her husband Bill, to the South Bay.
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hey charles – come and join me for a plate of s’ghetti, and I’ll show you the ultra cool “hot-n-tot” coffee shop (worth the price of admission for the vintage sign) and remaining little motels on PCH (which sprang up because…?). “air cooled for your comfort”.
I remember going to the Brown Derby as a kid for birthday dinners with my parents. Always loved going into a giant hat to eat dinner! Also love Vince’s but didn’t discover it until I was grown with kids and living in Upland. It was a Saturday dinner tradition with the whole family going to dinner there. Had to get there early to avoid the crowd, but even if we were late, the food was definitely worth the wait. It is one place that I miss now that I live out of state, but on some trips back to visit family, we make the trip up to the location in Upland since it is a bit closer. Love your slides, keep them coming!
Love the memories! I ate at the Brown Derby with my parents on special occasions while growing up in Los Angeles. Thought you would have mentioned that the original owner, Bob Cobb, is the inventor of the now-ubiquitous Cobb Salad. Keep ‘em comin’, Charles!
Mr. Gourmet Charles!
Ah dining! It is always a treat to go out to dinner, even when you just indulge in a simple repast of Vince’s spaghetti (make mine the mostaccioli with shredded provolone on top, please) and cheese bread. Just a few years ago Vince’s switched from serving wine in little jelly jars to serving it in actual wine glasses. Quelle tragedy! I always liked feeling as if Vince himself was unprepared for someone ordering wine and thus he did his best with the wine glass! A fantasy, of course, but a nice one. The switchover hasn’t stopped me from going, though. I live just a skip away from the “new” Vince’s on Foothill Blvd. — right next door to the classic Magic Lamp. What a combo!
Today’s slide of the gorgeous Brown Derby reminded me of my small collection of “famous recipes from famous places” cookbooks. After paging through the bulk of them, I came across _The Ford Treasury of Famous Recipes from Famous Eating Places (1950). It came to me from my Aunt Eula who, according to the first page, received this book in 1953 while living in La Follette, Tennessee. I’m not sure if she made any of the recipes from this book, but I’m certain she enjoyed looking at it! It’s full of charming drawings of fabulous restaurants from all over the grand U.S. of A., and right there on page 215 is an entry for the Brown Derby, 1628 North Vine Street, Hollywood California. The blurb states, “This is one of Hollywood’s most famous restaurants. It is presided over by Montana-bred Bob Cobb. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner is served.”
The recipe is for “Hamburger De Luxe” which is essentially steak tartare. Enjoy!
Hamburger De Luxe
2 pounds ground sirloin
1 raw egg
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. English mustard
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire
2 tsp. chicken fat
Mix meat, egg, and broth, then add the other ingredients. Use one full coffee cup of the mixture for each portion. Serve with braised onions or De Luxe sauce. (To make this sauce combine: 2 cups brown sauce, either canned or from beef roast; 1 Tbsp. English mustard, 2 tsp. Sauce Diable or A-1 sauce, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup catsup, 2 pats butter. Boil together, adding a little parsley.) Pour over hamburgers.
There you go! A recipe straight from the Derby! The “one full coffee cup” serving size is just so endearing — but it could lead to problems. I can only imagine that Bob Cobb didn’t have our Super Size Heap O’ Coffee mugs in mind, so scoop sparingly! And the De Luxe sauce sounds like a must, no? It’s De Luxe! Could you ask for more from a sauce?
Have a Derby weekend!
xoxo!
Miss Sharon
Hi Charles…
Thanks for the great shot of the Brown Derby! I lived in a boarding house on S. Catalina St. from 1954 to 1957 — just half a block from the Derby and backed up against the Ambassador Hotel. Money was scarce for me (although I was working regularly), but I spent most of it going to the Art Center School, which in those days was located at 3rd and Las Palmas in Hollywood. Several of the guys from the boarding house used to go nightly to the Brown Derby Coffee shop for coffee and a donut, and when I felt flush, I would join them. There was really nothing special about the hot chocolate and the donut that I would have, but it was at the BROWN DERBY afterall, wasn’t it!
I’m so grateful that I found this sight I read the comments and wonder about your lives and the things you too must have seen back then, eaten, experienced and heard. Mr. B.Becker have a great day your life then confirmed in me that life is about sacrifice and in lil ways we reap the rewards in memories and shared moments. Sincerely Rosalia
Charles, Thank goodness the Brown Derby slide has a happy ending!
i agree with judy…i’m still reeling from the chimp story!
Not long ago my fiance and I were digging through his late mother’s hope chest and came across 2 menus and some napkins from the Brown Derby. His parents honeymooned in Hollywood back in 1960 and she had saved them obviously for the sentimental value but I’m sure they considered the Derby to be very glamorous and exciting! Coming from the San Jose area, maybe they hoped to see some movie stars? At any rate, it was wonderful for us to hold a little piece of Los Angeles nostalgia and imagine his parents staring starry-eyed at eachother over the lunch special. Thanks for keeping the memories alive!
Hi Charles (and everyone else): When I first saw this Brown Derby
slide I immediately thought of the one that exists now in Florida at
Universal Studios in the public walking/shopping area that repre-
sents Beverly Hills/Hollywood from that era. It’s a full sized brown
derby just like the one in this slide however, I believe what is sold
inside the derby are hats, caps and the like, no food.
When I was a child here in Southern California I heard of “The
Famous Brown Derby” like everyone else and I asked my parents
several times to take us there. We never did go.
P.S. At the Disney MGM Studio theme park in Florida they have a Brown Derby restaurant (not the hat shape) but, a replica of one
of them (picture of real bldg. in waiting area) and this one serves excellent food! Good night and good luck
The Brown Derby I most remember was the Hollywood Brown Derby located on Vine Street near Hollywood Blvd. I visited the Derby as a kid on my summer and Christmas breaks from school in the early 1970s because my parents had a store nearby. I only ate in the coffee shop but was able to peek into the Restaurant which seemed very nice. The regulars at the coffee shop in the 70’s was a red-haired waitress with an Irish accent who talked about her pet monkey, Hal Smith who played the town drunk on the Andy Griffith show (by the 70’s was playing the part of Pioneer Pete on adds for Pioneer Chicken), and Billy Curtis (High Plains Drifter). My Dad would have a lunch meeting in the Derby coffee shop with a client and I would usually have a club sandwich. It was a pleasant place and it too was eventually torn down after an earthquake and fire.
When my family first moved to L.A. in the 50′s, I remember driving past the Brown Derby in our black 1951 Mercury and I begged my dad to stop. He replied that we weren’t rich enough or fancy enough to go there. Now that I think I’m rich enough and fancy enough, the bloomin’ place is gone. Thanks for your reference to Clifton’s cafeteria. The first time I went there I had halibut for the first time. Didn’t have a clue what a halibut was, but it was good!
I just received an email from Kevin, who is perpetually working past midnight. He included the link to your NPR interview at Clifton’s. Yes, I had Jello with the halibut…..two whole kinds. It was served on a lettuce leaf…Gawd, how fancy was that?? My friend and I were giggly teenage girls then and we sat near the waterfall. But that day we were so sophisticated, It’s easy to be sophisticated when your parents aren’t around.
My grandma always told me (and still does, thinking I haven’t heard it before) that we’re related to the owner of the Brown Derby, who invented the cobb salad. I thought it was kinda neat until I saw it played out on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Now I think nobody believes me.
I grew up around the corner from here. My friend Monique’s mother was a waitress there. We used to play outside the restaurant, pretending we were in “The Land of the Giants,” which was a popular TV show at the time. I think I was only inside once, and it was talk to Monique’s mother, never dined there. Truly miss this building (don’t think I’ll ever get over the loss of this landmark), but the picture brings back a lot of wonderful memories.
How wonderful to find this picture and the memories. I grew up in Hancock Park, and remember how excited I was to go the “real” Brown Derby. When I was a kid my parents would say we were going the Brown Derby, but sometimes I was disappointed to find that they meant the little one in Hollywood instead of the one in the hat. My grandfather used to come to stay at the Ambassador in the late 1940′s. That was when I first went to the the hat. Sometimes after church on Sunday we would go with friends either to Ollie Hammond’s or the Brown Derby. It was wonderful.
I ate at the Brown Derby on Wilshire in 1963 with my parents on a Sunday afternoon. Admittedly, it was in the coffee shop alongside, and in back of the restaurant proper, but I can say that I had the experience of eating there as a 10 year-old. Think I had some kind of Creamed Chicken and Noodle dish. The “other” place in the area on Wilshire was the Original Ollie Hammond’s Steak House, which deserves more recognition and less obscurity