CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Inside the old Ford Motor showroom on Michigan Avenue in the South Loop, is a transformation only a queen could love.
"It's sort of walking into a drag queen palace. In the entrance way, the walls are covered with pink leopard with little rhinestones here and there. There are eight-foot-high chandeliers. Every wall is covered in glitter, feathers and boas. It's glitz, glam and just exciting," said Yvonne Lamé, Founder, Owner, Lips.
Lamé opened Lips in New York, 23 years ago as a drag and dining show.
"I did pre-scout the show hostesses. I went out to the clubs and found them that way. We have some of the superstars of the Chicago drag community here," she said.
The queens are mostly local talent who will do double duty.
"When I was a kid I wanted the parts I couldn't get," she laughed."They weren't going to put the 6-year old as the lead in Annie. I used to do it every night at my house honey. I was always performing in college and in companies, so I was always performing. I didn't know I wanted to dress up as a woman, but I knew I loved dressing up.
Lamé said the timing is right to bring the unique drag and dining show to a more diverse audience in Chicago.
It will be open 7-11 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 6 p.m.-midnight Friday; 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday; and noon-11 p.m. Sunday, at 2229 S. Michigan Ave; and is closed Monday-Tuesday. Reservations can be made by calling 312-815-2662.