Osteria del Mondo, 1028 E. Juneau Ave., and Ristorante Bartolotta, 7616 W. State St., in Wauwatosa, are the only Milwaukee-area restaurants to earn a place among 1,000 Italian restaurants in America listed in a new Zagat guide.

A third restaurant, Kenosha's Mangia, also made the cut in the Milwaukee category.

"America's 1,000 Top Italian Restaurants" was compiled by Zagat and Buonitalia S.p.a. as a guide to the top Italian-style eateries in 53 American markets.

"It's only fitting that we produce a guide to the top Italian restaurants, since in survey after survey we see that Americans prefer Italian cuisine to any other," said Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat Survey. "The American public deserves to know when it is eating authentic Italian cuisine and this guide pulls together the best places to eat authentically around the country."

The guide was released in late February and highlighted restaurants were included, according to Zagat statement, based on three criteria.

"The warmth of the welcome and skills of the restaurant, how genuine the restaurant's products are, and the art of using simple and original cooking techniques to bring out the excellence of Italian ingredients. Buonitalia believes that the restaurants highlighted in this guide exemplify these qualities and serve as the de facto ambassadors for fine Italian cuisine."