Joe Impastato, wearing a black sport shirt with a New Orleans Saintsemblem on the pocket, balances six salad plates on his arm as he pushes past the swinging door of his kitchen into the dining room at Impastato's Restaurant in Metairie.

The 78-year-old restaurateur delivers those plates expertly to a table of well-dressed men having lunch in the empty space. The restaurant serves only dinner Tuesday through Saturday, but one understands after talking with Impastato for just a few minutes that he takes care of his good customers, his friends, and the New Orleans Saints.