(BPT) - Al fresco dining is one of the great pleasures of warm weather. Whether you’re hosting a neighborhood barbecue or an intimate dinner party on your deck, outdoor dining is a great way to savor good food, company and the great outdoors. To ensure your meals are safe and enjoyable, it’s important to know how to prepare, transport and store food for outdoor eating.

The senses are a driving force for many, and none are more demanding than the sense of taste. It is the driving force that compels the young and young-at-heart to seek out new and exciting ways to satisfy their culinary desires. And Lodi and its neighboring areas are willing to oblige.

Overview: Between the various eateries, cinema, olive oil, cheese and wine tasting, shopping and more, Downtown Lodi is the place to be. You can grab a bite with friends at one of the various restaurants that serve delicacies ranging from sushi to burgers, sample some sweets at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory or sip Zin at one of the many tasting rooms. Then enjoy some shopping before ending your day.

Welcome to Lodi. Please relax and sip some wine. You’ll find wines here are generally excellent, affordable — and often poured for you by the vintner who made them.

Favorite Place to eat: With the wineries popping up in and around Lodi, and the influx of more and more visitors, the dining options have perked up accordingly. Good news to the local foodies.

Favorite place to eat: Wine & Roses (2505 W. Turner Road) because it has great food and atmosphere. It is locally owned.

After a mere moment of hesitation, Sarah Fox, general manager of the Ryde Hotel, agreed to lead an impromptu excursion.

(BPT) - When you dine, do you prefer clean and attractive tableware? Does ambiance enhance your enjoyment of your food? Birds feel the same way about their dining habits – the type and cleanliness of your bird feeders directly affects the number and species of birds that will visit your backyard this season.

What happens when you cross a winemaker with a passion for his heritage and a chef who considers food an artful experience?

(BPT) - Home cooks are spending more time in their own kitchens and less time dining out, according to the January Monthly Measuring Cup Trend Report. Nearly half of surveyed consumers said they’re dining out less this year than they did in 2012 and are relying more on their cooking skills at home. Fortunately, technology makes it easier than ever for home chefs to prep and cook meals at home and clean up conveniently and efficiently afterward.

Thanks to a restaurant owner with a foundation in politics, Republican political consultant and policy adviser Karl Rove now knows where Woodbridge is.

She radiates confidence and sex appeal. Her long hair — always fiery red with subtle waves hanging around her shoulders — is her signature. Sometimes she appears frivolous and carefree, her body wrapped around a wine bottle with that wide red smile. Other times, she is contemplative; lying at the edge of the Lodi Lake with a glass of purple wine in her hand and strappy heels on her feet.

(BPT) - TV’s best-fed hedonist, Anthony Bourdain, is keeping busy these days with his hit travel series “Parts Unknown,” his publishing career and an upcoming appearance at this year’s National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago. Love him or hate him, Bourdain is the biggest, baddest food dude on the planet. The self-proclaimed “chef slacker” shares his advice for restaurateurs and new chefs, and talks about his desired last meal on Earth and love of old-school cocktails.

(BPT) - Families are always looking for ways to cut household costs. One area that provides a bit of budget-cutting flexibility is home entertainment costs.

(BPT) - The arrival of milder temperatures means dining al fresco, hosting neighborhood cookouts and enjoying intimate cocktail parties under the stars. When creating a backyard oasis to entertain family and friends this summer, it’s important that it be both inviting and able to withstand the wear and tear that goes hand-in-hand with warm weather fun.

Craving meatloaf, I decided to look online for a change from my usual ‘go to’ recipe. Keying in meatloaf, I was shocked when 8,978 hits popped up on the computer screen. Then I realized I was on Amazon.com not Google. Curious, I scrolled down and found “The Great American Meatloaf Contest Cookbook: Great Meatloaf Recipes by Great American Cooks;” “Everybody Loves Meatloaf: More Than 100 Recipes for Loaves and Fixings” and “Fast N Simple Meatloaf Recipes.”