Stuck in Lodi?

What happens when a Greek immigrant with a love of model trains, gyros and hamburgers opens a restaurant? Ask John Padrona, who’s been running the show at the Golden Ox in Lodi for a couple of decades or so. This is one place where the trains—G-scale replicas of Southern Pacific, Santa Fe and Pennsylvania railroad engines, boxcars and cabooses—always run on time. You’ll hear one click-clacking overhead on the trestle that encircles the room as you step up to the green and red signal light to order. I suggest the pastrami sandwich—three inches of steaming, peppery meat slammed into a toasted French roll, with fries and a Diet Coke, for a mere $5.99. But there are plenty of breakfast, lunch and dinner items to choose from seven days a week. File this one under “what to do the next time you get stuck in Lodi.”