The Seafood Dish Frank Sinatra Loved To Order At Patsy's Italian Restaurant

Frank Sinatra's love for Italian food was no secret. The legendary singer was well known for being an avid foodie and was frequently spotted at many restaurants across the U.S. that he loved, but none of them came close to Patsy's in New York. Sinatra's love for the iconic restaurant was shared by a laundry list of notable personalities, such as Madonna, Bono (who apparently visited Patsy's on Sinatra's recommendation), Stephen King, and many others. 

Sinatra started frequenting the Italian restaurant in the 1940s and quickly established a list of his favorite dishes that became his go-to orders. Chief among these was the clams Posillipo, a gentle yet flavorful dish made from littleneck clams dressed in a tangy tomato sauce and seasoned with herbs, of which Sinatra usually had two servings. Chef Pasquale "Patsy" Scognamillo (the founder of Patsy's) also tweaked the dish to Sinatra's liking by going easy on the garlic. He sautéed the garlic cloves in oil to extract their flavor but discarded them before adding other ingredients — Sinatra didn't mind garlic's flavor but preferred not to see any cloves in his food!

The sway Sinatra held over Patsy's transcended the formal relationship between a business owner and customer, almost venturing into familial territory. Apart from having his favorite clams Posillipo prepared specially for him, Sinatra also enjoyed some other privileges at Patsy's, including a special table, utter discretion, and having others foods custom-made to his liking. More interestingly, one anecdote states that when Sinatra hit a rough spot in the 1950s and didn't have anywhere to celebrate Thanksgiving, the iconic restaurant broke tradition and stayed open just so its favorite customer would have a place to go to and not feel left out.

Along with the clams, Sinatra often ordered the comforting Italian dish that is veal Milanese while dining at Patsy's (which he liked to be super crisp and thin), as well as a simple arugula salad. No garlic cloves on either, of course. For dessert, he loved to dig into a lemon ricotta torte, which he ordered occasionally. Despite being an iconic restaurant that was frequented by many celebrities, Patsy's owners revered their relationship with Sinatra and attribute a lot of the Italian restaurant's fame and success to his vocal love and support for the family-run restaurant. In fact, Patsy's is still flocked by many Sinatra fans who go to the restaurant to eat some of his favorite dishes while sitting at his special table.

On May 19, 2018, Patsy's (which is now being run by Patsy's grandson, Mr. Salvatore Scognamillo) honored the 20-year death anniversary of the legendary singer by organizing an event that was hosted by Bill Boggs. The event celebrated Sinatra's life by playing some of his tunes, displaying nostalgic videos from the past, and offering a lavish four-course meal with his favorite dishes on the menu.