Gastronomy

sive, with a grassy lawn where families were playing outdoor Jenga, while sipping rosé and nibbling wood-fired pizzas straight from the oven.

But the sleek redwood bar inside the tasting room is where the magic happens. We tasted a half-dozen LangeTwins wines, including standouts like the 2017 chenin blanc ($20), a zippy citrus refresher perfect for salad, and the inaugural 2015 Montepulciano ($25), a bright, mediumbodied, plummy red exclusive to the winery.

Those soft tannins whet our appetites and sent us racing back to downtown Lodi and its newest eatery, West Oak Nosh. The trendy gastropub, which is split into a bar and a family-friendly dining room, complete with community tables and chalkboards, opened just last month and is still working out some minor service kinks. But the vibe and food are spot-on.

It offers a small menu of handmade sausages ($8), sandwiches ($9) and shareable bites like a warm, saltglistening Bavarian pretzel ($6) and classic deviled eggs ($8). Plan to split the pork schnitzel, a massive, gloriously pounded and breaded pork loin topped with crispy slaw, chipotle aioli and pickled red onions on a pretzelknot bun.

As we headed home, I realized it was yet another example of a meal and dining experience I’m used to having in Berkeley or Oakland, yet happy to experience — Idol Beer Works: Brewery and taproom open Thursday-Sunday at 100A S. Sacramento St., Lodi; www. idolbeerworks.com. Fat City Brew & BBQ: Fastcasual barbecue restaurant and brew house open Tuesday-Sunday at 1740 Pacific Ave., Stockton; fatcity-brew-bbq.business. site. Fenix: Urban-vibe New American restaurant open Wednesday-Sunday at 117 W. Elm St., Lodi; fenixlodi. again and again — in Lodi’s wine country. Contact Jessica Yadegaran at jyadegaran@ bayareanewsgroup.com. com. Segale’s Double Dip Gallery: Ice cream shop and gallery open Monday-Saturday at 222 W. Pine St., Lodi; doubledipgallery.com. West Oak Nosh: New familyfriendly gastropub open Wednesday-Sunday at 10 W. Oak St., Lodi. M2 Wines: Small, modern tasting room open Thursday-Monday at 2900 E. Peltier Road, Acampo; www. m2wines.com LangeTwins: Wine-tasting room open from noon daily at 1525 E. Jahant Road, Acampo; www.langetwins. com.

JESSICA YADEGARAN — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Fenix Restaurant in downtown Lodi specializes in New American cuisine using ingredients sourced from local farmers and producers.

JESSICA YADEGARAN — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Lodi’s Idol Beer Works specializes in Germanic-style beers and IPAs. Pictured here, the Hugh Hefe hefeweizen and Idol-Ade, a non-alcoholic kombucha.