Zep Diner and Brown Derby -- January 25, 2014

Dining out in Los Angeles?  Visit the Zep Diner, loosely inspired by a Zeppelin, or the famous Brown Derby, "obviously" inspired by Al Smith's hat. The Zep Diner was at 515 West Florence Avenue, near South Figueroa. "Home of the Hinden Burger."

The original Brown Derby, on Wilshire Boulevard, opened in the late 1920s.  There was later a chain of Brown Derby restaurants, but the original was the only one shaped like a brown derby.  I remember when the building, which had been moved a block in the 1930s, was torn down in 1980 to make way for a shopping center.  The crown of the derby is part of the center.  Partner Bob Cobb, namesake of the Cobb salad, also owned, along with some Hollywood stars, the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League. 

The image is from the March, 1930 New Movie.  Click on the image to see a larger version.