This story was reported for San Diego News Network on May 11, 2009.
Eric Montijo has a favorite dinner spot where he enjoys celebrating his birthday each year. It’s family-friendly, so you’ll find him toasting his years with his loved ones. And, there’s only one dish that will properly fill his birthday taste buds – Chest Rockwell, a breaded chicken dish topped with ricotta cheese.
It’s like home for him, he said of Lips, a San Diego dinner-show venue.
But, it isn’t a burger spot with the waiters who sing you a birthday song with a synchronized hand-clap. Nor is it the mom-and-pop shop down the street with the homemade apple pies topped with frilly whipped cream.
Nope, it’s the spot where the bartender screams “The bar’s over here, let’s go!” as soon as you walk in. It’s the spot with leopard print carpet and an over-sized Appletini glass hanging from the ceiling surrounded by disco balls. It’s the spot crammed with more than 150 women and about five men, including Montijo, who are told to “act gay” to stay safe.
It’s where Montijo, who is now 35, has enjoyed every birthday since he was 25. It’s the venue that’s known to be the “Ultimate in Drag Dining.”
Yup, you read right — “Drag Dining” as in, dining with drag queens.
“We always come to Lips on my birthday,” Montijo said. “There’s no other place like it.”
No other place — indeed — except of course, for some of you with your wild and crazy dreams.
Established in San Diego almost 10 years ago, Lips is a corporation owned by a drag queen named Yvonne la May, who also started restaurants in New York City and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The venue hosts a variety of dinner shows with a total of 12 performers, drag queens — who also play the role as waitresses and hostesses.
Tootie, the San Diego manager of Lips, said the girls all work together when creating performances and assist each other in actualizing their drag queen characters.
“Drag is a very familial sort of thing; we adopt each other and give pointers,” Tootie said. “It’s that kind of society, really and culture.”
She added that all the girls or drag queens are distinctly different and can cater to any type of taste patrons may have.
“We’re like the Baskin Robbins of drag — 31 flavors,” she said.
Located on El Cajon Boulevard near North Park, the restaurant is opened six nights a week — each of which has a unique (or super unique) theme each night. Including, “’80s Retro Night” on Tuesdays, “Bitchy Bingo” on Wednesdays, “Dinning with the Divas” on Thursdays, “Glamour Girls,” on Fridays and Saturdays and “Flava! Latina Night” on Sunday.
And, Lips is serious about their performances. The restaurant hires drag queens that are also choreographers and rock the house with their dead-on celebrity performances. Tootie, who plays pop diva, Cher, opens Thursday acts with three of her biggest hits — including “Believe,” where she gave a performance that had guests dancing in their chairs.
But, the most jaw-dropping performance is by Lavida, who portrays Christina Aguilera. Lavida, who has been with Lips for two months, imitates Aguilera’s performance of “Candyman” to a tee — a performance that has viewers wondering if they’re watching the real Aguilera.
But, that’s not all.
Tootie said “if that isn’t enough drag for you,” Lips also hosts a Sunday “Gospel Brunch,” where drag queen Gigi, performing as Aretha Franklin, sings her soulful tunes. The holy mornings are even topped off with unlimited mimosas, Bloody Marys and champagne.
“It makes it much more fun. They come in sober and they leave messed up,” said Justice, a six-year-veteran of Lips who plays Tina Turner. “But it’s not our fault. We say ‘no’ and they keep saying ‘yes.'”
So, what makes Lips a venue for everyone you ask? (This is, of course, you didn’t immediately correlate family with drag queens.) Tootie, who has been with Lips since its San Diego inception, said the restaurant has attracted open-minded people from all walks of life, who just want to experience one thing: fun.
“The fun element is so important. If a girl strong-arms her man to come here and they show up, he might be very uncomfortable, but after awhile he realizes that this is all just fun,” Tootie said. “We’re not looking to steal him away from her; of course, a lot of them may want that. They think this is fun and there’s booze here too and a whole bunch of drunken women. What’s a better place to be?
“When you can make somebody laugh, that overcomes everything. In fact, they should just dispatch a whole army of comedians to the Middle East and have a great damn time,” she said.
Tootie said the most frequent visitors are women on a girls’ night out or a woman who organizes her bachelorette party at the venue. Like Sandy McCampbell, who celebrated her upcoming marriage there with about a group of 15 women. She said she knew immediately that she wanted to have her bachelorette party at Lips with Tootie and her crew.
“I was looking for something entertaining,” McCampbell said while drinking the Lips signature drink — a frozen Cosmo. “And, I really didn’t want to see strippers.”
But, they do see quite a few men sometimes, Tootie said.
“We do get a lot of girls who have twisted their husbands or their boyfriend’s arms to get here,” Tootie said. “We get a few gay guys. And, stragglers who have gone to Tens, the strip club across the street, and maybe that wasn’t quite enough for them, so they come over here.”
But what is most interesting about Lips, is that they haven’t seen a drop in revenue from the recession– not even by a penny, said Tootie. She said it’s because Lips is a sort-of getaway from problems for most people, where everyone can relax and “forget their troubles.”
“There’s not a clock in the place, so you won’t know how long you’ve been here,” she said. “Of course, we’ll kick you out when it’s time.”
Lips will celebrate its 10th anniversary on June 17 by hosting a charity event for a local non-profit. Tootie said the company is also looking to open a location in another major U.S. city. Although, the city has been chosen, the revelation won’t be discovered until the restaurant is actually open.
“I can’t let it out of the bag, can I?” Tootie said. “I don’t want some other queen to get her heels and beat me there.”
Forget SeaWorld this birthday; blow out your candles with the queens of Lips San Diego.
“This is uniquely San Diego.”
Hoa Quach is the political editor for the San Diego News Network.