The Brown Derby

     One of the faithful Disney reproductions is the Brown Derby Restaurant at their Hollywood Studios location.  Actually a chain of restaurants, the Hollywood original opened on Valentine's Day in 1929 by co-owners Robert Cobb & Herbert Somborn.  It had a Spanish mission style facade and on the interior the walls were lined with hundreds of celebrity caricatures.

     And the most famous item on the menu at Disney continues to be the Cobb Salad, created one night by owner Bob Cobb.  This unique salad contains ingredients that can be remembered by the mnemonic devise EAT COBB:  Egg, Avocado, Tomato, Chicken, Onion, Bacon, Bleu Cheese. All of them finely chopped and served with salad greens and drizzled with red wine vinaigrette (Vinny Garette!)

     As with most culinary accounts, several variants exist as to the creation of the Cobb Salad.  One version claims that it was hastily arranged from left-overs by owner Bob Cobb for Sid Grauman, showman and theater owner and was chopped fine because Grauman has just had dental work done and could not chew well.  Another story states that it was Cobb who made the salad for himself late one evening because it was almost midnight and he had not yet eaten and was hungry.  He ordered his line cook to fry up some bacon which he then added to  left-overs he scrounged up in the kitchen.  

     Whichever story you wish to believe, the salad has become synonymous with the Brown Derby.  Today it remains the signature dish on the menu.  And of course the day I was there for lunch I enjoyed that part of Hollywood history.