La Poubelle Bistro & Bar — Restaurant in Los Angeles

First I came with a touch of nostalgia as I was a regular here in the 1970's while living up Beachwood canyon. The Koster's were the quintessential hip french hosts! They were one of the few jazz venues and they tolerated my rudimentary french. The food was french bistro fare with an excellent crepe at fair prices for a starving student. (There was no music on this night.) So here we are returning to LA and voila(!) the bistro I have told my wife about still exists! In fact the same owner's (who was sleeping in the back) daughter, Francoise, has taken over management. Literally nothing, or at least very little has changed! Sadly the crepes are gone. Might be the same tables! The ambiance would be that of a petit village bistro, not really a Parisian version. A broad bar that gives you room to sit back and converse with your neighbor while considering excellent cocktails and french wines or marveling at the power of "Les Fluers du Mal" on its 87th reading. There is limited outdoor seating with heaters. A curated smattering of paintings adorn the walls to the ceiling(again I recognize a few from over 50 years ago!). There is now a youTube film projected on the back wall. It was from Pre Code era classic "Safe in Hell"! Dorothy Mackaill, then as now was a serious distraction with her flaunting "gambs" and insouciance! They are trying the app menu currently and this is a mixed bag IMO wherever you encounter it. You can seek advice from the delivery and seating staff. I was efficient in our case. If I could suggest anything to Francoise I would suggest engaging a francophile couterie of servers so much a part of any restaurant experience, but especially this one.. I remembered the Vodka Penne and it is still this thick cheesy mess. My wife's favorite! We had ratatouille, Moules marinières, salmon, a house salad and and espresso. The Moules (muscles) were steamed to perfection in the traditional shallot garlic butter white wine steaming sauce. A baguette came on request. These were the large Puget sound fellows that I have seen at the french market here Monsieur Marcel. My wife had a Cote d Rhone that was excellent. They have a "happy hour" menu and some of these items came from that choice so the prices were excellent. Everything was literally unchanged in terms of quality from my distant experience. The couple next to us were engaged in a discussion of Trotsky and the dialectic as they downed two bottles of Châteauneuf du Pape! Dialectic indeed! The music mix was modern French like Thérapie TAXI and even Nekfeu! The bathroom has been upgraded and was clean on this occasion.. When you are done you simply walk out with minimal engagement with a delightful staff..triste.. On this short block exists the famous improv Upright Citizens Brigade, Counterpoint record and book store (we were told owned by the couple from my time here ), two other restaurant choices, and yet another magazine and book store. Across the street behind fences and foliage is now the fascist prison complex known as the Church of Scientology. Seems to sit in "counter point" indeed to the enlightenment across Franklin. Parking oddly can be had on the many side streets, and we were able to park easily on this night. I hope you will ignore some of the reviews here and you may well have an alternative to the effete or mundane so...

I love French cuisine so a Bistro on Franklin Avenue with a good reputation is an easy sell to me. Tonight we dined outside and I really like being able to sit and watch all the foot and car traffic go by. It’s also right across from the Church of Scientology Celebrity Center so it adds to the only in LA experience. The menu changes often so the options will be different depending on the day. The way it works is you bring up the menu via the QR code and pay for the entire meal, including tip, upfront. Then runners bring out the food to you. This is not the location to go for white glove service, it’s a more casual setting where you order by your phone and can leave as soon as you are done.

I started off with the Beet & Goat Cheese Salad and I loved it. It reminded me of Spring and I especially liked the vinaigrette with it. We also ordered fries for the table and they were delicious and went quickly. For my entrée I chose the grilled Branzino and it was very crispy and cooked well. That’s a personal favorite fish of mine so it was nice to see it as an option on the menu.

Overall a really nice casual option in East Hollywood with easy parking and flexible seating. There is a lot of street parking, as well as a parking lot behind it and the large Gelson‘s...

The most astonishing experience of my life- we look up at the TVs, which all play TCM, and a graphic Holocaust documentary is on, rife with images of piles of emaciated corpses. I ask the bartender to change it. She says the manager doesn’t like to have the channel changed. I direct her attention to the TVs. She: “Oh yeah, that comes on sometimes.” Can you change it? Is the owner here, I ask? Someone goes to look into it. Bartender: You’re not having enough fun, most people don’t notice it! Me: 🧐 Her: I know how you feel. I mean, I’M Jewish so I get it. Me: Yeah, we’re Jewish too. Her: Yes, but I’M an Eastern EUROPEAN Jew, so. Me: So... you REALLY understand how this comes off? Her: [walks away] Me: Can we get the check? Her: Do you want us to change the channel? Me: Just the check please. Her: So you DON’T want us to change the channel? Me: PLEASE don’t trouble yourself any further, we’re leaving. Her, under her breath to the other ‘tender: They’re just being babies. So yeah, boycott...