Frank Sinatra Loved To Order This Simple Salad In New York On Repeat

When one thinks of Frank Sinatra — an icon of music, style, and vices — one imagines sexy songs, sure, but also cocktails, smoky rooms, and... salad? It's true, when Old Blue Eyes wasn't crooning about gambling, lighting a Lucky, or sipping Jack Daniels, he was eating his greens. And he reportedly preferred them with arugula, a bit of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and basil at Patsy's Italian Restaurant in Manhattan, New York.

Now, could Sinatra have ordered this same simple mélange almost anywhere in the world? Yes, it isn't a cronut. But he was such a fixture at Patsy's, the spot still bills itself as "A New York landmark made famous by Frank Sinatra." So it's fair to say that this Italian salad was — ahem — the best he ever had. Wholesome anecdotes about the singer's visits abound, and Patsy's is still known to serve some of Sinatra's favorites on his birthday. Should you ever drop by on December 12th and happen to find such a posthumous fête, some of Frank Sinatra's preferred preparations also included stuffed artichokes and veal Milanese.

Okay, dousing some vinaigrette on a pile of leaves sounds obvious, but preparing a salad befitting the so-called "Chairman of the Board" requires a little more attention. You want your arugula to be as fresh and green as possible — buoyant with a peppery bite. You also want it to be moisture-free so that the dressing can properly adhere. A salad spinner, one of the few single-use kitchen tools worth making space for, can wick it quickly. However, you may still need to lay the leaves over paper or clean kitchen towels to get them fully dry.

Once your arugula is prepped, it's important to balance the oil-to-red wine vinegar ratio. Too much of the former, and it'll all be too slick; too much of the latter, and it'll taste too acidic. Three parts oil to one part vinegar is a fairly common ratio for success. A chilled plate can also improve your salad without any extra ingredients. And, if you are in the market for a few additional items, shaved parmesan and the tiniest spritz of lemon really fly this dish to the moon.