ON JULY 25, RJ Bistro will be celebrating another milestone in its colorful history. Chalk up RJ Bistro's 13^th year of providing nostalgia with nothing less than maximum rock 'n' roll.

''This is a special occasion, indeed. After 11 years at our Olympia Tower location, we're going back to RJ Bistro's original site at 826 Pasay Road. So RJ Bistro has gone full circle.. We'll be starting our operations on July 23,'' says Ramon "RJ" Jacinto, the architect of the resurgence of rock 'n' roll in this country.

Something for everybody

RJ recalls the good, old days, "When you're a '60s lover, you stay that way. What was most appealing about the decade was that there was something for everybody, You had folk music with Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary. You had R&B with Wilson Picket, the Temptations, You had a lot of influential artists together at the same time. People also look at the 60s with fondness because life was much simpler then. And that's what Bistro RJ did all these years, sell nostalgia."

Performing at the anniversary party will be musicians like Eddie Mesa, Norrie Jacinto (dubbed as the Neil Sedaka of the Philippines), a band composed of priests called Ingo Band, and other guests. Of course, RJ will be stringing up his custom-made ''RJ'' guitar once more and play Ventures, Shadows and Elvis classics. Anthems for a Baby Boomer generation. Music you could only hear at the Bistro.

''We have a lot of events lined-up at RJ Bistro. On August 28, we're going to hold Year II of the Atenean tribute. Jose Mari Chan will pay tribute to Cliff Richard, Norrie Jacinto to Neil Sedaka, Titus Santiago to Ricky Nelson and I'll pay tribute to Elvis. We're also planning to hold RJ Guitar Night at the Bistro,'' he says.

Also expect major changes in RJ Bistro's new/old home along Pasay Road. This will be the first no-smoking nightspot in the country. There will be a special glassed-off smoking section. The Bistro will have a French chef to prepare palate-pleasing treats for our guests. There will be a coffee shop on the second floor a la Starbucks to be operated by Old Manila Coffee House. And there will be two stages where the bands can battle it out for supremacy, just like a true blue '60s showdown.

''As for the schedules, we'll have an amateur night every Monday, featuring executive combos or amateur bands. We're planning to have a '70s night. RJ and the New Becky Garcia every Thursday. On Saturdays we'll have a '70s night. RJ and the New Riots will play every Friday. Of course, we'll keep our Ladies' Night on Wednesdays.''

RJ says the reason for RJ Bistro's staying power is that it is the only place where you can get the value of nostalgia for your money. Not only nostalgia but some old friends and great music as well. Once you roll the highlight reel for Bistro, a slew of familiar faces is bound to crop up-Raul Manglapus and the Executive Band; the wild man on the piano, Bobby Enriquez; Jose Mari Chan; Eddie Mesa. The list is endless.

''The Bistro became the watering hole of executives and baby boomers. A place where people could relive their high school days, where they could feel young and invigorated.''

RJ is currently working on a 100-song CD Boxed Set called The Ultimate Bistro RJ Collection. It will feature live recordings of RJ's gigs at the Bistro for 13 years. The boxed set includes four CDs with a bonus 5^th disc, plus a 50-page booklet full of photos of RJ Bistro since the beginning. The booklet outlines how he fell in love with Rock N' Roll, stuff people want to know about the guitarman.

''I've been working on this set for 10 months. Mixing down 100 songs is no joke. Talagang intense work ang involved dito. I feel I should have done this a long time ago, because people who go to Bistro want to take the Bistro home with them. They would ask me if I have a CD of the numbers I sing at the Bistro home with them. Ngayon, with this boxed set, they can take the Bistro whenever they want to.''