The gangster Johnny has a Robert De Niro-like vibe to his character. The actor, John Mariano, is well known for his Robert De Niro impression, which he has used for similar gangster-type characters in other shows such as Animaniacs (1993).
In this episode Frank says "Back in my day only the biggest pieces of shit sold drugs!" However in Frank's Brother (2011) he sells drugs, specifically coke, though he was still very against it.
When Charlie is seated at the table in the Jockey room, there's a Heineken box behind him that has the 'H' and second 'e' blacked out to avoid advertising.