Osteria del Mondo heads east this month. Beginning today and for the next four weeks, the lower East Side Italian restaurant celebrates the 20th birthday of New York's famed San Domenico eatery by serving its menu.

San Domenico -- in New York City and in Imola, Italy -- are legendary in fine dining circles. But in Milwaukee, perhaps even more so, because two of our best restaurateurs / chefs -- Marc Bianchini and Paul Bartolotta (and Ristorante Bartolotta's Juan Urbieta, too) -- earned their stripes under the tutelage of Tony May in New York and Valentino Marcattilii in Imola.

"San Domenico has always been my favorite restaurant and one of the best restaurants on the planet," says Bianchini, who recently returned from serving as a featured chef at San Domenico New York's 20th Anniversary Celebration and announcement of the restaurant's new location in Madison Square Park. It is currently situated on Central Park South.

"It was an honor to be invited to cook at their 20th Anniversary Celebration and as part of that, I'm bringing a taste of San Domenico back with me."

Osteria is dubbed "San Domenico -- Milwaukee" for July and its menu features three appetizers, three pastas, three fish entrees, three meat dishes and three desserts from the San Domenico menu. The dishes can be ordered a la carte or as part of a five-course tasting menu.

Bianchini -- a New York native that also runs Cubanitas and Indulge here --- served an exclusive externship at San Domenico New York in 1989. He returned there as a sous chef after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America and later spent several months at the Imola restaurant in the Emilia-Romagna region, considered by many to be the culinary heart of Italy.

"Eating at San Domenico in Italy and New York becomes a memorable event," says Bianchini. "It's something I want Milwaukee to experience."