Did you hear the one about the breakout baseball player fueled by chicken parm? It’s a story on my mind as I’m dining at New York’s Arthur and Sons. The art on the wall consists of Sinatra and Goodfellas, the wine is flowing, and the food is decidedly red sauce.

The mastermind of star chef Joe Isidori, whose family is behind a multitude of New York Italian eateries of the past, including Villanova Restaurant, a Midtown staple back in the early '60s. Fast forward to the modern era, Arthur and Sons is known for an entire section of the menu dubbed the classics: that is, chicken and veal. And the star of the show here is chicken parm.