If you’ve ever wanted to decide on a bottle of red or a bottle of white at the restaurant that played the role of muse in Billy Joel’s “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” you better make your reservations soon. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Il Cortile and the two walk-up buildings that it connects are on the market—though the owners are reportedly seeking to lease the restaurant from the new owner so they can continue to run it (they’re also allegedly willing to sell some stakes in the restaurant). The Esposito family, who have owned the buildings since 1975 (at the time the space was a bedding store), are asking $15 million for the two residential buildings on Mulberry and Hester. The building sits across from a one-time mob social club and while organized crime members have been reportedly spotted at the restaurant in the past, the owners say they’ve only ever seen members of The Sopranos there.

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"Italian Restaurant" On the Market