Chefs rely on local farms to create savory dishes
Lodi is wine country. This we well know. But over recent years, the bucolic city has become a culinary destination as well, attracting bold name talent like the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, N.Y.-trained Bradley Ogden. Among many other awards, Ogden was named Chef of the Year by the CIA in 2000 and “Best Chef California” by the James Beard Foundation in 1993.
And while the culinary focus is on Lodi’s abundant foodshed, drawn from its own ranches, farms and artisanal purveyors, there is plenty of variety to be savored. New American cuisine shines against Japanese, Italian, eclectic and many other mouthwatering specialties to take you on a global romp.
Here are just a few notable destinations to whet your appetite:
BRADLEY OGDEN TOWNE HOUSE RESTAURANT AT WINE & ROSES
Chef Bradley Ogden has led the kitchens of some of the Bay Area’s most celebrated restaurants, including The Lark Creek Inn of Marin County, One Market Restaurant of San Francisco, Lark Creek of Walnut Creek, and now, Towne House, the signature restaurant of the luxury Wine & Roses hotel and spa.
At the garden-theme Towne House, Ogden showcases California ingredients in updated ways, such as his mouthwatering grilled Niman Ranch pork chop paired with spiced peach, roasted baby potato, garlic-almond summer bean and tamari miso butter. But he also throws in twists from his early training with Native American ingredients in his hometown of Michigan.
As he explains it, that means respecting Mother Nature’s larder, celebrating fresh caught fish, free range chicken, grass fed meats and seasonal produce, then “keeping it simple — using the freshest ingredients available and putting them together in such a way that the flavors, colors and textures combine to bring out the best in each other.”
His menu changes constantly with the seasonal markets, but a favorite dish speaks of Native American roots. San Joaquin Valley’s Grimaud Farms Muscovy duck breast shines under his care, presented with wild rice pancake, beet purée, red wine essence and juicy Bloomsdale spinach.
RICHARD HYMAN FE •NIX
As owner and executive chef of this regional American eatery, Richard Hyman has a deep love for eclectic recipes, balanced with classical technique. And no matter how inventive his creations are — crispy garlic Brussels Sprouts with farmer’s cheese and pomegranate and jalapeño-cilantro aioli, for example — he maintains one strict standard. As much as possible, ingredients must be local, including produce from the San Joaquin Valley, sustainable seafood from the Pacific and Pacific Northwest, wines from the Lodi Appellation and natural grass fed beef from Northern California.
It’s a philosophy Hyman cultivated over the past three decades, starting with his old-school style, fromthe-bottom training at top California restaurants. He endlessly chopped onions, potatoes and garlic, “building the callouses along the way,” he said, and learning that “every chef had something to teach, something to give and I thrived on that schooling.”
For Hyman’s commitment and training with star chefs like Joaquin Splichal and Jean-Louis Palladin, fe •nix diners are rewarded with superb cooking. The menu description for his Ceviche of the Day hints at the passion: “our daily creation of fresh seafood / cool ingredients / deep love.”
And there’s always something special tucked in, be it the vichyssoise sauce that dresses the grilled Delta asparagus with cave aged gouda and roasted cashews or the wasabi furikake and ginger
ponzu broth elevating the pan roasted albacore with stir fried vegetables and crispy fried garlic.
PETE MURDACA PIETRO’S TRATTORIA
Recently reopened after an extensive renovation, this iconic Italian eatery has been going strong for more than six decades, ever since founder Pietro Murdaca built the restaurant by hand in 1957. About 30 years ago, Murdaca’s son Jim Murdaca took over the kitchen, and now, Jim’s son Pete Murdaca is in charge.
Today, guests can admire Pete Murdaca’s chef work through the new, open kitchen showcasing a centerpiece wood-fired pizza oven. The menu appeals to modern tastes, with dishes like risotto decorated with Portobello, shiitake and white mushrooms drizzled in truffle oil or pork chop Milanese over baby arugula.
But the core remains the long beloved homemade pastas, sauces and desserts from family recipes passed down through generations. That means soul satisfying plates like chicken parmigiana served with spaghetti and vegetables, a hearty three cheese lasagna, and grandpa Pietro’s favorite, Genovese ravioli draped in Calabrese sauce.
The cooking is the real deal, too. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar are made in Lodi, and many ingredients come straight from the restaurant’s on-site garden, like basil, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and herbs… even lime, rosemary and lavender for craft cocktails.
For other authentic delicacies like cheeses and charcuterie, the chef looks to Italy. And in fact, before taking over the family kitchen, Pete Murdaca attended culinary school in Parma, Italy, then worked at a restaurant in the family’s home village of Antonimina in the Calabria region, followed by another trattoria in Rome.
SUNNY CHONG SUSHI KOMACHI
For every inch of her 2,000-square-foot restaurant, chef-owner Sunny Chong strives to pack in flair, flavor and surprises amid her authentic Japanese dining experience. The result is an expansive menu ranging from sashimi to teppanyaki, sukiyaki, nabeyaki udon, ramen, bento and 64 kinds of sushi rolls alone. Plus, for insidersin-the-know, omakase dinners are available with 24-hour advance notice, bringing elaborate meals spanning up to two dozen courses.
While Chong has built her career with traditional dishes, such as yasai soba, she also caters to contemporary tastes. That’s why diners find inventive rolls like the Midnight, of seared tuna, avocado and cucumber topped in avocado and spicy crab salad then fired with a blowtorch, all finished with tobiko and jalapeno.
She also spreads her wings into other cuisines, offering Korean barbecue, Chinese sesame chicken and her clever Americana tempura Oreo cookies.
Komachi means “town beauty” in Japanese, Chong explains, adding that she sources much of her produce locally, and features Lodi wines alongside Japanese sakes. That beauty also translates to the plate, with artful arrangement such as her sashimi platters that resembles origami in their colorful layering of fresh fish curled with shiso leaves, tempura asparagus stalks, fresh berries and microgreens on a frilled glass edge plate.