author of the cookbook Sinatra Sauce: Music Meatballs & Merriment, which features Italian-American recipes inspired by Frank Sinatra's favorite foods. The book is about Sinatra's love for Italian food and the meals from his childhood in Hoboken, New Jersey. It is not just a cookbook, but also includes stories about Sinatra's life and dining experiences.
About the Book
SINATRA SAUCE - The book explores the Italian dishes that Frank Sinatra enjoyed throughout his life, including those made by his mother, Dolly, and father, Martino, who was also a good cook.
Recipes: It features recipes for classic Italian-American dishes that were a part of Sinatra's life, such as Eggplant Parmigiana, Lasagna, and Spaghetti and Meatballs.
Stories: Interspersed with the recipes are anecdotes and stories about Sinatra dining at famous restaurants like
Patsy's
in Manhattan and
Jilly's
in New York.
Availability: Sinatra Sauce is available for purchase on Amazon.
About the author
Daniel Bellino Zwicke: The author is a lifelong Sinatra fan and a prolific writer on Italian cuisine.
Other works: Zwicke is also known for other cookbooks, including Sunday Sauce, La Tavola, and Positano The Amalfi Coast Cookbook. He also has a background as a wine and restaurant professional in New York City.
Frank Sinatra had a special relationship with several New York restaurants, especially Patsy's on West 56th Street, and was a regular patron of Jilly's, a nightclub owned by his friend
.
PATSY'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT
New York
Favorite dishes: Sinatra's go-to dishes at
Patsy's
included clams posillipo, spaghetti and meatballs, and veal milanese. He was known for having very specific preferences. The kitchen crew would prepare his favorite veal milanese, served crispy and lightly garlicked with an arugula salad, precisely to his liking.
Regular patron: He was such a regular that he had his own special table, and
Patsy's
would even serve him on holidays like Thanksgiving.
Celebrity gatherings: After performing in New York, Sinatra would bring his friends, including members of the Rat Pack like Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, to
Patsy's
. There, they would dine and socialize upstairs in a private room.
Legacy: The restaurant still honors Sinatra's memory by serving his favorite veal milanese on his birthday, December 12th, even though it is no longer on the regular menu.
JILLY'S SALOON - (Jilly's
)
The nightclub: Located on West 52nd Street,
Jilly's
was owned by Jilly Rizzo, a close friend of Sinatra. It was a popular hangout spot for Sinatra and the Rat Pack during the 1960s.
Relaxed atmosphere: While Patsy's offered a dining experience,
Jilly's
was more of a casual hangout where Sinatra could relax with his friends.
Social hub: It was a place for drinks, music, and mingling with other celebrities and friends. While not specifically a culinary destination, it was a central part of Sinatra's nightlife and social scene in New York.
The stories in Sinatra SauceDaniel Bellino Zwicke's book Sinatra Sauce draws on these stories and settings to give readers a taste of the Italian-American food and dining experiences that were central to Frank Sinatra's life. It sets the recipes within the context of the restaurants and home kitchens that shaped Sinatra's palate.
OTHER FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
P.J. CLARKE'S
What he ordered: When visiting this historic saloon, Sinatra was known to sit at his preferred table and order a burger and a Bloody Mary.
Historical context: Dating back to 1884, this establishment holds deep New York history, and a waitress who knew Sinatra worked there for over 44 years.
"21" CLUB
The setting: The
'21' Club
, known for its speakeasy-era history, was another of Sinatra's destinations.
His visit: He typically dined at a large table in the main room.
PATSY'S PIZZERIA - Eat Harlem NYC
The East Harlem Original: The legendary pizzeria in East Harlem was a favorite of Sinatra and other celebrities like Dean Martin and Joe DiMaggio.
Loyalty from afar: Sinatra's dedication was such that he had 45 pizzas flown to him in Las Vegas for a concert
GINO'S - Lexington Avenue
Gino's was another favorite of Frank's as well as numerous other Celebs, including : Marilyn Monroe, Ed Sullivan, and others. Gino's was beloved by its loyal clientele who loved the solid Old School Italian dishes, and its old world charm, and naturally the famed Salamandre ZEBRA Wallpaper. It was also famous for its "Pasta Segreta" - Pasta with Secret Sauce.
Like at Patsy's, Sinatra would eat Clams Posillipo and Veal Milanese, and loved just a simple plate of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce.
Basta !
GINO'S of CAPRI
Inside GINO'S
Sinatra's simple Pasta Sauce recipe -
While Bellino's book contains many recipes inspired by Sinatra, the singer's own straightforward tomato sauce recipe has been shared in other publications and on food websites. It is a simple marinara sauce, meant to coat the pasta lightly.
Instructions: The recipe involves sautéing garlic in olive oil, then removing it before adding the onion. Canned tomatoes are briefly blended, then added to the pan and simmered with the herbs and seasonings. Butter is sometimes added to the cooked spaghetti before adding the sauce.
Yes, they go together, Francis Albert Sinatra & Sunday Sauce ...
FRANCIS ALBERT
"Ah SALUTE" !
Get a copy of Daniel Bellino Z 's SUNDAY SAUCE, pull out your favorite Sinata songs, cook up a batch of Sunday Sauce (Gravy) following the great recipe in Mr. Bellino's book, put on the records, invite some friends, and have the greatest time imagineable ... eating some Pasta, the SUNDAY SAUCE, sip some Chianti, chat with your friends and listen to the sounds of Sinatra ... "What could be better?" Not much I tell you.
It's an old tradition in my family, that most Sunday the Bellino Family gathers together and we eat Sunday Sauce Italian Gravy. The whole family gets together and Grandma House, or Aunt Helen's, but mostly at Aunt Fran's House in Lodi, New Jersey. It's a wonderful all day affair, starting with a little antipasto, followed by the star of the show, Sunday Sauce. Aunt Fran or Aunt Helen usually make the Sauce (Gravy), which is the most supreme dish of all. It's a long simmered tomato sauce laden with special meat treats, that include: Sausages, Meatballs, and Braciole. We eat it with short maccheroni, usually rigatoni. "It's the Best Thing ever," we all just love it, and who wouldn't, it's so damn tasty, it is.
After the Sunday Sauce, it's on to dessert and coffee, which is a 3 or 4 hour affair, as the grownups sit around the table drinking Espresso (with Anisette) and eating all the tasty desserts that's made of a whole array of sweet treats, like: Aunt Fran's Ricotta Cookies, Cannoli, Sfogliatelle, and whatever sweets that other visitors might bring. And there's a whole lot of talking about this that and every other thing: sports, politics, gossip and what not, all as Frank Sinatra records play softly in the background. Always. Aunt Wanda loves Jerry Vale, and Dino has his turn too. Those were warm and wonderful days spent with loved ones, and sadly all of the older generation is gone, and we miss them dearly. But me, I think of them often, and especially when it comes to Sundays, eating all day long, cahtting and having fun, eating maccheroni, sausage, Meatballs, and Braciole, listening to Sinatra, and loving it all. My cousins Joe, Tony, and I keep it going. We try to organize as many get-together s as we can, always centered around food, whatever it may be: fresh fish, pasta, Steak, and our all-time favorite Sunday Sauce. And don't forget Sinatra, Francis Albert that is. Or just simply Frank.
