Let's just get one thing straight, so to speak. I love me some drag queens. Always have, always will. Just to restate the obvious, I also love me some food. Combine the two and it's bliss.
Recently, we had two special guests come and stay for week- Burgess and Brittany. Fortunately, they share my love for the dramatic. It was Brittany's birthday and she was in the mood for some good, old fashioned, drag-show watching. We found the perfect place in Fort Lauderdale and settled on the Gospel Brunch. Armed with pocketfuls of one dollar bills and hearty appetites, five of us headed north.
Sunday's Gospel Brunch starts at 11:00 AM. Upon arrival, we handed the keys to the valet and stood in line. There were a lot of birthday boys and girls with the same idea. The crowd was a true cross-section of people- from grandmothers to guys who looked like Joe the Plumber, all in a tizzy of anticipation. The doors opened promptly and we were whisked into a good-sized elaborately decorated dining room, complete with huge bar. On the way to your table, pick up a mimosa or a bloody mary, both come with brunch. The bartender makes non-alcoholic bloody marys too! The menu is small but varied, check it out
here. The entertainment is also the wait staff and they'll take your order just before the curtain opens.
If it's your birthday, they will bring you a tiara, like this one that Brittany is wearing. Can't you just tell she feels like a very lucky girl?
Performances ensue as the food is served, and continue throughout the meal. This was a gospel brunch, so we got downright spiritual, which was surprisingly easy for our group of mostly Jews- maybe it was the free mimosas. The girls were gorgeous, talented and campy. Just as it should be.
After the grand finale, which to my delight was one of my favorite gospel songs,
Maybe God is Trying to Tell You Something from The Color Purple soundtrack and probably from something else but I heard it in that movie, the birthday boys and girls each get a piece of cake, complete with sparkler of course, and a quick pose with the entertainment.
A few minutes later, it was all over. There are two drag brunches every Sunday and the new patrons were already lining up outside as we paid our bill and headed out. This is what too many mimosas in the morning did to our birthday girl:
To say we had fun would be an understatement. The folks at Lips really know how to entertain. The food was good, but definitely not the star of the how. Lips has nightly shows- each a different theme! I can't wait to a Bitchy Bingo party on a Wednesday night. See the schedule
here. We all had a grand time -- even my brother-in-law JAM -- and it was his first drag show, if you don't count the one in our next-door neighbors' backyard (which is another story altogether).
A fabulous time was had by all. The birthday girl and Burgess got a little shut-eye on the way home. We live about an hour away from Lips - which will help us...well, me (who am I kidding?!) save it for special occasions. If you want some outlandish, hilarious, unique musical entertainment in an over-the-top atmosphere, plan your trip to Lips today...and the eggs.
