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.

If you listen closely, you might be able to hear it. The thumping. The ringing. The crooning.

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.

Lodi-area drinking establishments:

Local artists, chefs and vintners will take center stage on morning news programs starting this weekend to promote the area and the Lodi Wine Stroll taking place on April 13.

Here’s a list of St. Patrick’s Day events in Lodi and the surrounding area:

There is a 16-year-old who jams at a bluegrass night in Woodbridge. There is a pianist who plays 300 piano gigs a year. There’s a local band that gets people on the dance floors in tasting rooms and bands that get people jumping up and down and singing along until the early hours of the next morning.

When Mike Sinclair invited his mother- and father-in-law to join him and his wife Cheryl for a drink at Rosewood Bar & Grill on Monday afternoon, Carol Meehleis knew something was up.

They are the people who answer your phone calls, who help you find books and who keep the theater lights on. While city of Lodi employees spend their days keeping things running, many spend their nights and weekends behind cameras and easels. Now, 10 city employees are showing their artistic side at a group show for January’s First Friday Art Hop.

Chef Iradh Herrera gave a silver mixing bowl filled with cream and sugar one last stir before adding a very special ingredient: liquid nitrogen.

A former local chef who led an effort to reduce gang violence in the mid-2000s was arrested Wednesday for inappropriate sexual conduct with a 16-year-old minor, Lodi Police stated in a news release.

Rich and I took a quick biz trip to Sacramento Wednesday and when the lunch hour rolled around he surprised me with a trip to the last Sam's Hof Brau in existence.

Alebrijes Mexican Bistro: 10 W. Oak St., Lodi. 209-368-1831

If hunger is your driving motivation, Lodi and its surrounding areas have a multitude of flavors to satisfy even the heartiest of appetites

While holding drinks, people in their early- and mid-20s huddle in groups, talking about their lives during the last few years. As the door to Garry’s Lounge opens, all of their eyes shift while they wait to see who walks in.