Lucca Cafe & Market   

as a former employee and guest they have some of the best italian food i have ever had.....

I sought out Lucca for lunch after reading about it on AOL Hometown. It's tucked in the corner of a shopping center (albeit a very nice and new one in exclusive Quail Hill / Shady Canyon). Lasagna at the majority of places is a gooey mess of too much cheese, sauce and pasta thrown together. Lucca's lasagna had a firm consistency with distinct layers and the ingredients could actually be appreciated. I believe that they actually use a bechemel sauce instead of plain pasta sauce that many places use for multiple dishes. The lasagna ($10.95) was served with house salad had a perfectly tangy vinaigrette with a home made crostini that I goobled before anything else. Other tables had equally appealing looking entrees especially the Greek shrimp pasta and cobb entree salad. Will definitely take guests here!

Wow, Lucca blew our hair back. Beautiful restaurant with attentive staff, this is an up-and-coming place to be sure. It offers THE BEST food we've found in OC. Love the small plate, multiple tastes format and wine pairings with regional cheeses. The chef/owner is extremely knowledgeable about her ingredients and is happy to discuss them with guests. Don't let this one fail...they only need one chance to win you over and I was won. Let's get the word out to keep Lucca around!