The Derby

The Derby, opened in 1922 by a jockey, is the second-oldest steakhouse in the Southland, right after downtown's Pacific Dining Car. Santa Anita Park is only five blocks west, and the Derby is saturated with racing memorabilia, from the antique posters in the dining rooms to a sort of racetrack museum at the entrance.

It's a sprawling, brick-walled place with complimentary valet parking, gleaming red-leather booths and a dress code engraved at its entrance: country club casual. It does fill up after the last race of the day, but it's also a local businessmen's favorite. One of its specialties is the most garlicky garlic cheese toast in town -- Parmesan-topped bread toasted and then doused with plenty of chopped garlic browned in butter.

The "steak that made the Derby famous" is a sizable filet mignon wrapped in bacon. It comes with giant onion rings, a potato and side dishes such as Asian coleslaw (that's with raisins and almonds). There are a couple of steak sauces on the table, but the waiter is likely to recommend ignoring them. He's right, this is a lovely steak -- tender, juicy and flavorful -- that needs no sauce.