R-23 is definitely a word of mouth type place—there’s pretty much no way you’d find it otherwise. This is certainly a trend in LA.

The lovely folks @ Sardo’s in Burbank have been holding PSK for seven years now. Every Tuesday, porn star Nikki Hunter hosts the evening’s festivities—in which porn stars from near and far (by which I mean between Universal City and Van Nuys) come to sing, drink, and give away free porn. As Dory put it when I mentioned the event to her, you can’t get that anywhere but LA.

Miss Hunter does a spectacular job hosting—managing to make anyone who ventures to the stage feel special (from shy girls to porn fanboys) and she miraculously seems to recognize EVERY porn star that walks in the door (even though the faces change every week). I have a feeling she knows ahead of time who’s coming, but I’d rather believe she has an amazing porn encyclopedia in her head.

Each week Hunter (or volunteers of her choosing) hand out free porn, often starring ladies in attendance that evening. I have a triple signed copy of Mother Load 4, that the lovely Julie Ann autographed that evening (she’s the cover girl and star).

Long ago, Matt and I set out to eat at every restaurant on Ventura Blvd. between our house (technically off of Cahuenga) and Laurel Canyon Blvd. Over the past three years we’ve done a pretty good job, but we’re not done yet.  One place we recently checked off the list was the cute Wine Bistro, a nice little French restaurant that made for a yummy Friday night.

Wine Bistro is half restaurant and half wine bar. The dining area looks larger than it is, due to the mirrored walls that surround it. Matt and I sat at a little corner table. The restaurant feels simultaneously fancy and cozy–as if you were enjoying it at home. The clientele reflected this…two tables down from us sat a couple dressed extremely down (the baggiest of sweatshirts I”d ever seen at a French restaurant). But across the aisle sat a couple significantly dressed up from this (and I think on a first date). It”s always a mixed bag in LA (you can never be too casual or too dressy at pretty much any event, from Arclight screenings to dinner at The Bazaar–more on this in a future entry!).

WB offers a well sized menu, with all your favorite French offerings, as well as a prix fixe for the evening—a good deal that Matt partook in (only $25 for appetizer and entree!). I ordered yummy escargot, while Matt had ahi tuna (an interesting addition to a french menu, but it seems to be everywhere these days). We also picked out a bottle of French red (you CAN”T go French without wine), from a region Matt recently visited (M: St. Emilion).
(Mental Note: I must be better about writing down my tasting notes, because I can”t remember much about this wine for the life of me. I know I enjoyed it, but you’d be hard pressed to find a bottle of red I don’t….)

Onto the main courses—Bouillabaisse for me (in other words a stew of sorts with clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops and all other kinds of goodies, along with a very thin pasta and some veggies mixed in). I loved every bite of it. Matt had the filet mignon–which looked extremely tender to me. He”ll have to let you know the final verdict there. (M: thumbs up!)

Even though I was trés full, I can never escape ordering the crême brulée. Especially when it has a unique twist. Three miniature servings, each flavoured with a different liquor. Khalua, Baileys and Grand Marnier. Tasty and fun.

I’d love to go back soon and sit in the wine bar. Order a nice bottle, the cheese plate, and appreciate the other half of Wine Bistro. And I”ll definitely be back for dinner. If you’re looking for French but you want to skip the stuffy, this is definitely the place to be!