Lips’ Lavida entertains the audience with her performance as Christina Aguilera.
(Photo by Steven Bartholow) 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 &mdash “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.”