If you’re one of those foodies who snubs red sauce joints, you can stop reading right here. Everyone else, loosen your belts. You’re going to need every square inch of belly space for Arthur & Sons.
The Jupiter outpost of the beloved New York Italian restaurant opened earlier this year to instant accolades—and a full house of red sauce cognoscenti lining up for chef Joe Isidori’s spicy rigatoni alla vodka and eggplant stack. The atmosphere here is totally old-school, down to the black-and-white photos, dim lighting, and red pleather booths. A piano player croons from the back corner, servers in “Chicken Parm Pays the Bills” T-shirts rush plates of steaming pasta to tables, and the chef himself patrols the floor, (loudly) greeting guests as if he’s known them forever. All this, and the sublime perfume of Sunday Gravy wafting from the kitchen, puts you in the mood to eat.
First rule of Arthur & Sons: don’t count calories. From the top of the menu, don’t miss My Mother’s Meatballs—soft and smothered in red sauce and ricotta—or Joe’s Infamous (and enormous) Caesar Salad with more Parmesan than lettuce. You’ll want to eat the whole thing, but pace yourself for the main event.
The spicy rigatoni alla vodka is the house specialty and a must-try, but the star of the show is the Old-School Sunday Gravy. This ultimate red sauce is made the old-fashioned way, using a recipe passed down from Isidori’s forebears. He’s put his own special ingredients and love into it, never cutting corners or the time it takes (six hours!) to make this gift to his customers. The result is the most fragrant, tastiest, most transportive experience you could have in a single dish. Chef Joe didn’t earn a Michelin star for nothing.
At this point, you might be tempted to skip dessert, lest your buttons burst. Do not. The Spumoni “My Way,” a creative interpretation of the Italian classic made with pistachio ice cream, chocolate, and cherries, is worth all the extra hours in the gym. Bring a few friends to share it with, eat joyfully, and bask in the happiness of the Isidori family’s love language.
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