Il Cortile: While not possessing much of a bar scene, Il Cortile is a fantastically ornate restaurant. Right in the center of Little Italy, the enormous interior is packed with plants, hanging and otherwise, and scores of potted trees. It sort of brings to mind the rainforest exhibit at the Museum of Natural History, but here it’s OK to eat what you see. Most of the cavernous space is taken up by dining tables, and way in the back, past the fountain, the bar area is all but deserted. The music is unimaginatively tuned to an oldies station, but there’s something to be said for the echoed hum of a dozen dinner conversations floating in the same air as Percy Sledge. |
