Here's What Happened At This Chicago Restaurant Whenever Frank Sinatra Came To Dine

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is officially being put on blast in shopping malls everywhere, as Sinatra season is here. But while most know him for his velvety voice, we at Tasting Table know him as the definition of a foodie. With a long list of favorite restaurants, Ol' Blue Eyes had quite a discerning palate for good food all around the country. In some of these places, like the Twin Anchors Restaurant & Tavern in Chicago, Sinatra left quite a few funny anecdotes back when he was a patron. According to the restaurant's website, apparently, his bodyguards had to block the phone booths to stop people from phoning in that Frank was in the neighborhood.

It's not that unbelievable of a story. The restaurant's narrative was that this was in the '70s — well after Sinatra caught the ears (and hearts) of millions around the country and beyond. Worse still, Frank often walked into the restaurant with a couple of friends. After calling his standing order ("Ribs, and keep 'em coming!"), he'd sit down with some just-as-famous faces like comedian Joey Bishop, Chicago Bears legend Sid Luckman, or Jilly Rizzo. More than a few people would love to see them in person, and it'd be one heck of a field day for the local press. So, it's not hard to imagine why Frank's security was so strict and had to resort to barricading the phone.

Apparently, the ribs at Twin Anchors are really, really good. So good that at one point in 1982, Frank had the ribs delivered to the ChicagoFest performance at Navy Pier for himself and the entire orchestra. So yes, Twin Anchors' ribs were literally show-stoppers.

Twin Anchors' specialty is in baby-back ribs, made using a secret recipe that has been practiced and perfected since they first opened their doors in 1932 — doors that, over nine decades later, are still open for business! Walk down North Sedgwick and West Eugenie streets in Chicago, try and spot a red-bricked building in the corner, and you'll find the restaurant, which is still furnished and decorated in the original 20th-century-diner style after all those years. Diners are still flooding review sites (more than 1,700 so far on Google Reviews), praising the slow-cooked ribs that melt in the mouth and the signature sweet-and-sour barbecue sauce to the moon and back.

The restaurant (which is family-run) makes it very clear that they've a deep respect for history and the recipes they use have never been changed. If you order a plate of ribs, odds are good that the look and the flavors are exactly the same as the ones Sinatra himself had eaten and couldn't take his eyes off of.