We have enjoyed the Cobb salad at The Capital Grille in Buckhead many times and are curious about the secret for the dressing. Will they share the recipe? — Emory Washington, East Point

It’s no surprise that a fine steakhouse like The Capital Grille would transform the traditional Cobb salad by substituting beef tenderloin for the more customary chicken. The bigger surprise might be that they get bacon flavor in the dressing by using the bacon fat rendered when they prepare the crisp bacon for the salad.

The Capital Grille’s executive chef and partner, Benito Manzanares-Palacios, calls the salad a modern, luxury adaptation of the classic Hollywood dish of the 1930s. At the restaurant, this is served with 8 ounces of tenderloin per serving. For our version, we’ve cut the quantity of beef in half.