Old Favorite Recipes For A New Year

Only one thing excites us as much as discovering culinary trailblazers: celebrating the institutions that paved the way for said groundbreakers.

Doing so has been one of our original missions at Tasting Table, as evidenced by our Classic Tables column.

This month, we're going a step further by devoting our Monthly Edition to these standards: introducing Old Is New, a tribute to our favorite timeless tastes.

To begin, our Red-Sauce Route (click here to see) looks at some of the country's last bastions of an Italian-American tradition that has served as the basis for a myriad of newcomers. Rediscover the perfect chicken Parm while stocking your pantry with the restaurants' picks for the essentials, including olive oil, polenta and a family's collection of time-tested recipes.

Keep your eyes peeled on your in-box as the month progresses. We'll be bringing you a detailed exploration of the wedge salad, a reconsideration of oft-lambasted Chardonnay, an eating itinerary for one of the world's most storied cities, plus other stories, during this month's menu of classics, refreshed.

There's no time like the past.