Chef Zachary Pollack is ringing in the New Year right with a variety of dinner options at his new Santa Monica spot, Cosetta. Choose from three seatings, including an early, all-ages a la carte option; a low-key, four-course menu from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for $75; and a five-course Capodanno feast with Champagne and caviar from 8-11 p.m. for $120 per person. On New Year’s Day, the restaurant will transform into “Aloha, Cosetta,” an all-day Hawaiian BBQ celebration from 12 to 7 p.m., featuring dishes such as coconut shrimp, risotto Spam musubi, macadamia-chile pork ribs and tiki-style cocktails. With three price tiers, the top CHIEFTAIN tickets ($100) include tomahawk steaks, lobsters and a 24-ounce mai tai in a keepsake mug. Book New Year’s Eve on the website, and New Year’s Day via Resy.
Even though Visalia holds the title of being the oldest city in the San Joaquin Valley, it’s more likely a place you’ve passed through on your way to visit General Sherman or the infamous carved Tunnel Log. Many Angelenos don’t even know how to properly pronounce its name.
But Visalia (say it: vai-SAY-lee-uh) — a place long known as “the gateway to the Sequoias” for its proximity to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks — is becoming a destination in its own right.
The 151-year-old Central Valley city has been working hard to shed its bucolic stereotypes and reinvent itself as a cosmopolitan oasis with hip boutiques, craft breweries and a revamped downtown. Changes started happening about five years ago when the Darling Hotel opened in the bones of the former 1930s Tulare County Courthouse annex. The Art Deco boutique hotel offers chic accommodations, catering to design-savvy travelers. Nowadays, downtown’s East Main Street, which plays host to tchotke-laden antique stores and patio dining, is a vibrant, walkable hub. At First Friday Downtown Art Walks, people can groove to a steady playlist of popular tunes thanks to a speaker system the city installed along the sidewalks. And although its Chinatown has been dismantled for years, many Chinese restaurants and a sizable Asian population remain, along with some of the community’s original Asian-inspired architecture along Main Street.
With farmlands nearby, farmers markets are held not once, but twice a week in Visalia’s downtown area, while local farms offer pick-your-own visits and plenty of restaurants make use of the local and seasonal produce at their disposal (seek out the honey glazed shrimp made with locally grown walnuts at Canton Restaurant as well as the berry pies and fruit preserves at the Vintage Press Restaurante).
Counterculture types will find respite at music and vintage store Velouria Records, cult film fans can catch free and low-cost screenings at the historic Visalia Fox Theater and paranormal-enthusiasts can chase spirits on ghost tours or late-night jaunts to the notoriously haunted Visalia Public Cemetery. There is even an extensive underground tunnel system — once used to operate gambling joints and opium dens — that still exists below downtown. Some people still find their way into them — those who aren’t deterred by massive spiders or trespassing charges, that is.
The city comes together for annual events, such as the twice-yearly downtown Wine Walk, the culinary extravaganza Taste of Visalia or the wintertime tradition Candy Cane Lane Parade, which celebrates its 79th anniversary this month. Also notable: Visalia became the first city in the United States to be designated a Certified Autism Destination in 2022, training at least 80% of its guest and public-facing staff in autism and sensory disorders.
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As the city continues shucking its former reputation as a drive-by dot on the map, SoCal residents seeking a weekend escape only a few hours away would do well to take note. There is plenty of natural beauty to be found in the area, and one doesn’t have to drive into the higher elevations of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains to get some adventure time in. Rent a boat or a kayak at nearby Lake Kaweah, strap on a helmet and do some whitewater rafting in Three Rivers or wander through preserved wetlands that have been untouched for centuries.
It might not be the first place on your California vacation bucket list, but Visalia is worthy of a visit — and with its rapidly changing cityscape, will likely have more to offer with each passing year.
He’s had a restaurant here since 2008 but it is now transformed.
You can still sit down and linger here as normal for a pre-flight meal.
But Ramsay has recognised that most of the 30million passengers who pass through T5 annually are more time-poor than ever, so he’s come up with a “grab and go” concept.
Diners can order at self-service screens in the restaurant’s entrance — as you might do in McDonald’s — then eat in the restaurant or take away.
He says: “The idea is that it will be ten minutes from ordering to table.”
The tables, incidentally, all have runway views.
But more importantly, what’s on the menu?
For the first time, you can find the best of Gordon’s crowd-pleasers all under one roof.
One counter serves his Asian favourites such as nigiri and spicy tuna roll — dishes you’ll find in his Lucky Cat restaurants.
Another has a range of burgers from his Street Burger bistros.
Not KFC, but GFC: Gordon’s Fried Chicken
There are also pizzas, fish and chips, all-day breakfasts, butter chicken curry, poke bowls, steaks, salads — you name it.
Gordon’s aim is to make eating here fun.
Quality ingredients
Indeed, he tells me his kids were having such a good time here ten days ago that they refused to board their plane.
We chat briefly about how we both have twins and how his eldest decided not to follow in Dad’s footsteps, but to instead join the police force.
And then he encourages me to taste some of his specials, all prepared in bite-size samples.
Flights can be difficult, sometimes nerve-wracking. Getting a chance to eat before we board means we can get on that plane and relax
Gordon
It’s topped with a dollop of his curry and mango sauce and is superb — moist on the inside and with just the right amount of outer crispy crunch.
Next is his vegan ’Nduja Street Pizza, piled with gooey courgette ribbons, pesto and red onions.
Tuck into the OGR Burger
As for the OGR Burger, it has so much flavour that it’s no surprise to learn it’s made from grass-fed Hereford beef.
But my favourite is the bao bun, oozing with shredded duck and hoisin sauce.
Gordon, who now has 31 restaurants in the UK and a further 61 globally, including in South Korea, Malaysia, France and Dubai, believes decent grub can ease the stress of flying.
He says: “Flights can be difficult, sometimes nerve-wracking. Getting a chance to eat before we board means we can get on that plane and relax.”
If a holiday really does begin the moment you’re airside, then starting a trip with a meal at Plane Food Market will set you off on the right foot.
Dishes are packed with quality ingredients and prices are around £18 for a pizza, burger or fish and chips. It’s cheaper if you grab and go.
I was not flying anywhere when I visited, but did take away a £9 portion of padron peppers for dinner at home.
Hours later, when I tucked in, they were still delicious.
Would I enjoy them before hopping on a flight? Absolutely. All I need to do now is book a holiday.
Dishes are packed with quality ingredientsCredit: Supplied
