"“Everyone does their stint at Pietro’s,” one winery tasting room associate explained of a typical high school job in town. “It’s like a rite of passage here in Lodi.” And for good reason. Everyone seems to love Pietro’s. The Murdacas first started the family restaurant in the 1950s in Vacaville; a few decades later, in 1985, Pietro Murdaca and his son Jim opened the Lodi spot, and it’s been going strong ever since. The classic Italian restaurant features local wines, pasta, and hearty southern Italian dishes. A lovely demonstration garden welcomes guests out front and supplies herbs and vegetables for the dining room. In winter, start with tender housemade meatballs in a bed of chunky tomato sauce, and stay cozy with a primi of tagliatelle in pork sausage, veal, and porcini bolognese. Absolutely do not miss dessert, from the butterscotch budino to the salted caramel-mocha gelato pie. The latter, a layered ice cream presentation with a crunchy crust, is impossibly light for something so rich." - Laura Smith Borrman
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