informational interviewing mid-career

Hey, so I'm doing a mid-career job search. I am told the right way is still to do "informational interviews". Oh, lawdy I hate those. But ok, so how does one do IIs well, and what questions can I ask? I'm trying to move from PE in Asia to VC in US. So to an extent I can ask "tell me about the West Coast scene in VC." But beyond this, the whole process is deeply disingenuous. "Tell me about VC." - nope. I have a decent idea from my time in industry, and asking this is lame. "Tell me about your firm." - nope, because they may not be hiring. "Tell me what resources I might use to find a job." - maybe, but sounds desperate. And how does one ask them to refer their friends?
That's a difficult segway to make.