Billy Joel’s “Scenes From An Italian Cafe” Is About a Specific Eatery, but Not the Just one Extended Island Natives Imagine

Billy Joel’s commitment to Long Island is no top secret. The spot seeps into his music regularly. Soon after expanding up mostly in Oyster Bay, Joel has owned assets all above the island. In excess of the many years, he experienced beachfront estates in Sagaponack, Sag Harbor, Oyster Bay, and Amagansett, to identify a couple of. Given that he’s so dedicated to being on the island, it should appear as no surprise that his supporters mainly imagine “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” was written about a Extensive Island institution. Which is not the situation, even though. 

Very long Island Natives long assumed “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” was about Christiano’s in Syosset

For decades, Joel fans who are living on Extended Island have argued that Joel was impressed to publish “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” by Christiano’s in Syosset. The eatery was considered an establishment, opening its doors in 1958 and servicing North Shore inhabitants for a long time. An overzealous enthusiast went so far as to incorporate Christiano’s as the inspiration for the tune on Joel’s Wikipedia web page. Sadly for Christiano’s lovers, the rumor is not real.

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In accordance to The Gothamist, Joel himself gave the rumor legs. In a 2015 interview, Joel admitted that he surely gave Christiano’s a shoutout for the duration of a demonstrate in Extended Island, but that his steps had additional to do with obtaining applause than basically dedicating the track to the longstanding establishment.

Christiano’s liked yrs of notoriety from the tune, regardless, but even getting falsely immortalized in a Billy Joel tune wasn’t adequate to continue to keep the doorways open up. Following more than 50 decades in organization, Christiano’s rolled down the gates for the past time in 2014. A Chinese restaurant has taken its place.

Billy Joel discovered that the tune was about an eatery in Manhattan

Joel may possibly be partial to the North Shore of Very long Island and the organizations that thrive there, but his famed track is about a Manhattan restaurant. The Italian cafe, Fontana di Trevi, is the eatery Joel sang about in the famed tune.  

Since shut, Fontana di Trevi was situated at 151 West 57th road, directly across Carnegie Corridor. Joel described in an A&E particular that he generally ate at the midtown eatery, but no just one realized who he was at the time. The wait around staff was accustomed to serving the opera group, but not far more mainstream musicians. At some point, they figured out who he was, making it much less complicated for him to get a desk. 

A waiter influenced a person of the song’s most popular traces

All through a Q&A session on Sirius XM, Joel admitted that Fontana Di Trevi wasn’t the only inspiration for “Scenes from An Italian Restaurant” another Manhattan eatery aided him establish the opening line to the song. In fact, a single, unnamed waiter is responsible for the opening lyrics. 

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In accordance to Joel, a waiter at Benito II uttered the famous lyrics when Joel sat down to try to eat. The waiter said, “A bottle of white? A bottle of crimson? Most likely a bottle of rosé instead?” Joel liked the seem of the line and utilized it as the opening to his famed tune. Benito II was found on Mulberry Road in New York’s renowned Little Italy.