As a long time Orleans resident, I've come to terms with the dining misery that comes with living in the suburbs. It is an Ottawa pretense that all good restaurants are inside the Greenbelt, and your only options outside the belt are chain restaurant pub grub emporiums with well exercised deep fryers or pizza ovens.
I was shocked I tell you I found Osteria da Luca in Orleans. A legitimate Italian restaurant with actual Italians working in the kitchen. I thought it was an Orleans bylaw that anyone cooking had to show a birth certificate from Lebanon.
I chose the Gorgonzola Veal Medallions and my wife had Veal Marsala after Caesar Salad and complimentary Bruschetta. My meal was spot-on, the veal tender and the sauce rich and balanced. Service was great with Luca the proprietor serving and making sure our experience was good.
I'm a tough critic as I cook reasonably well, and my big frustration is paying a premium for meals I can cook better myself. I entered Osteria da Luca expecting to be disappointed, but was surprisingly pleased with it. I will return and bring more people to the Osteria - I really support people trying to bring good food to the east end. With the Brasserie Ste Marthe, Little Turkish Village and Osteria da Luca I now feel I have some choices that doesn't require a drive back to the city.
Reservations are recommended, clean with cloth tablecloths, about 15 four top tables and a bar in a St. Joseph strip mall near Orleans boulevard. Our dinner was $75 before tip, making it a slight premium (but well worth it) over the high volume chain restaurants. Recommended. read more