Havana Bar & Grill is one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood. They’ve made a nightclub atmosphere work during the pandemic with table service, food that you can actually order, and amazing drag.
Posts about LGBTQ issues, particularly in the Oak Lawn neighborhood of Dallas.
Havana Bar & Grill is one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood. They’ve made a nightclub atmosphere work during the pandemic with table service, food that you can actually order, and amazing drag.
We checked out Liyah Alize’s drag show at Liquid Zoo last week. It was exciting to see Liyah and Iroc Goodness again (who I first saw at Mr. Misster’s brunch) along with some performers that were new to me.
The show was technically billed as a “drag brunch” but with a 3pm showtime, it was really more of a tea dance show.
Brunch or not, this cast was excellent and the bar staff was very gracious when a performer got onto a table and sent several glasses flying (a true sign of a good show!)
The Last Virgin Drag Brunch was the first show that I went to after moving back to Dallas and we keep coming back!
The Virgin Hotel is one of the best drag brunch venues that I have ever been to. The Commons Club is bright, impeccably designed, and big enough to make social distancing easy.
Dallas drag queen Queen Duvet at drag brunch.
Besides the amazing venue, I also really love that the cast of this show changes frequently. This really helps to keep things fresh, although you can always count on the mainstays – Jenni P., Krystal Summers, and Queen Duvet.
We made it back to another drag brunch show at Mr. Misster in Oak Lawn. This time we were with our new Atlanta friends who definitely felt their oats at their first Cedar Springs drag show.
This week’s cast was:
The drag brunch show was fabulous (as always) and it was great to see Serene Storm and Kenya Blue return along with some new faces.
Kelexis Davenport hosting drag brunch at Mr. Misster drag brunch.
This brunch was catered from a new restaurant (which was a boot) but the mimosa towers made up for it and we were there for the show anyway. Still recommend.
You can catch Mr. Misster drag brunch every Saturday at 2pm. Reservations are available in-person at the bar and online.
Here are some photos from brunch!
Dallas’ gayborhood is buzzing about two new residential towers planned along Cedar Springs Road.
The high-rises would be built in the surface parking lots behind the gay bars on that side of Cedar Springs — JRs, TMC, Sue Ellen’s, S4, and Woody’s. The developer said that it would replace the surface lot parking and provide the bars with a medium-term lease.
Proposed new highrises in Dallas’s gayborhood. (GDA Architects )
Of course many people are exercised about change – the two primary complaints being increased prices and parking.
Both concerns seem misplaced.
A water fight is not the only thing going on at All Tea, No Shade Drag Brunch in Deep Ellum – there was also another great show with host and DJ Dezi 5 and hosts Bleach and Barbie Davenport Dupree.
The guest star was Mocha McVenti Amor, a queen who I was unfamiliar with, but who danced the house down! Bleach and Barbie were also great, although I think Bleach may have mortified a poor woman who decided it was okay to bring a kindergarten-aged child to the show. (Whoops!)
All Tea, No Shade drag brunch has been extended from its initial run, so there’s still time to catch the queens Saturdays at The Free Man Cajun Cafe & Lounge at 2626 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75226.
A “funeral” was held for Redfield’s Tavern over the weekend to commemorate the end of the restaurant (for the gay community at least).
The Dallas Morning News published a story yesterday confirming the owners’ homophobic remarks that were secretly recorded by a former employee. The backlash to the recording was swift — the gays boycotted, the staff quit en masse, and the business collapsed.
Drag brunch has officially returned to the Strip on Cedar Springs – we went to the Mr. Misster drag brunch show on Saturday and had a blast!
Hosted by Jenni P, Saturday’s brunch featured Kenya Blue, Liyah Alize, Onyx Andersen, and Serene Storm.
Kenya Blue performing at brunch in Oak Lawn.
The brunch food spread was catered by Orno.
Overall, this brunch is a toot — It was one of the most relaxed brunches that we’ve been to in Dallas. The host seemed to be in her element and spent a lot of time on audience interaction. There was also a dance contest and a hilarious runway segment.
We popped into TNT Tacos and Tequila drag brunch a few weeks ago. This has definitely become one of our go-to shows and we even brought friends this time!
The cast for this show was:
This show also featured a massive birthday party of one of the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show, a nationally-syndicated morning show based in Dallas.
There’s a shit-storm brewing in the gayborhood.
I recently heard a recording that is allegedly of two of the Redfield’s Tavern owners discussing how they really feel about their gay clientele and staff. The tape confirms rumors that have already been swirling about the owners being anti-LGBT — which I refused to believe since this place is basically the neighborhood’s busiest gay bar of the moment.
Why this matters: With most of the largest gay bars still closed, Redfield’s has become the center of many people’s social lives — like Cheers or the coffeeshop on Friends. It’s not uncommon to see some regulars there 3 to 4 times a week with the same groups of close friends. If you’re spending a significant amount of your free time and disposable income at an establishment, it’s devastating to hear that the owners don’t value your business or respect you as a person. (And also offensive, because you’re keeping their lights on).
The tape is worse than I thought. The alleged owners describe the large gay clientele as a “problem” and say several times that they are alarmed that the venue is becoming a gay bar. They also complain about the newly hired gay men, and suggest replacing them with women.
This bigoted behavior won’t be tolerated — this venue is in a predominately LGBT neighborhood and after 9pm (and weekends) Redfield’s was almost entirely gay. We are not a problem, but rather the people keeping the place afloat.
I am disgusted because just last night we were having a conversation with friends, and we went on at length about how much we love Redfield’s. But no longer –:I’m not giving another pink dollar to owners who casually discuss firing their staff just because of who they choose to love.
Good luck to them. But I am going to spend my money at places that support our community and don’t view us as a problem. 💅
Like many things, Halloween in the gayborhood is decidedly different this year. Normally, there is a sprawling block party, but this year it is all about small gatherings at restaurants and neighbors’ homes.
Some of my younger neighbors have rowdy packed parties (that we do not attend), but the events with the 30-somethings tend to be smaller and easier to keep one’s distance at. I think the lack of FOMO after a certain age definitely helps.
Plus, the food is better when the host has a World Market membership.
Drag brunch was not a “thing” last time that we lived in Dallas, so we were a little worried that weekend would be a little boring upon moving back. Fortunately, Drag brunch at the Virgin Hotel has assured us that we have nothing to worry about!
This drag brunch has an interesting rotating cast, and the venue is gorgeous. Also, brunch includes passes to the Virgin Hotel Pool Club, which normally charges $40/person, so the event guarantees a full day of entertainment and people watching. It’s worth it.
Here are photos from brunch!
Havana Lounge recently reopened on Cedar Springs Road with weekend drag shows. The lines for the bar have been insane, so Sunday’s afternoon drag show was our first time back.
On Sunday we made it back to drag brunch at TNT Tacos and Tequila in Uptown, Dallas. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite drag shows in town because of the food, drinks, and talent.
Finally, rounding out this week’s photo series from “All Tea, No Shade” drag brunch in Deep Ellum, we have photos of Bleach!
I was really excited to finally see Bleach perform live after following her amazing Instagram account for a while now. She’s definitely a stand-out member of the cast and brings a wild comedic energy that reminds me a lot of Alaska and Katya.
I also wouldn’t be shocked if Bleach is Dallas’ next Drag Race superstar (or even Dragula!) Perhaps the first queen to win both? Who knows! When you’re this talented, the possibilities are endless.
Here are photos from brunch!
Next up in this week’s photo series on “All Tea, No Shade” drag brunch performers is Tayanna Love.
We were not familiar with Tayanna before this performance, and I was pleasantly surprised. She took us to church and really excelled in intense lip syncs. She also busted out a cartwheel, which no one was expecting. Definitely a strong performer and someone I am excited to see again.
You can follow Tayanna over on Instagram.
Here are photos from brunch!
Next up in our round-up of “All Tea No Shade” drag brunch stars, is Kira Kennedy Chanel.
Kira was visiting from New York City, and only performed one number. However, Kira she had a great look and was a lot of fun. I hope to see more of Kira in the future, perhaps she’ll be back for another one of Kennedy’s brunches.
You can follow Kira on Facebook.
Here are photos from brunch!
One of my favorite parts about living in Washington D.C. was participating in Stonewall sports — billiards, darts and flip cup.
I often felt ridiculous rushing out of the office to pre-scheduled recreational sports, but it was a great way to meet new people. D.C. is also unique because there are so many young professionals interested in networking.
So I took a lot of photos from “All Tea, No Shade” drag brunch, which I’ll post throughout the week.
First up is the host, RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Kennedy Davenport. I saw Kennedy Davenport perform frequently the last time that I lived in Dallas, and she’s always good for a high-energy show.
Kennedy is one of the few drag race alums that haven’t high-tailed it to Los Angeles, which is why we get to see her at drag brunch. She’s our dancing diva and pulled out some great costumes last Saturday. There also happened to be a crew filming a TV show at the event so you’ll get to see the performance sometime in the future.
We made it back to “All Tea No Shade” drag brunch at The Free Man Cajun Cafe & Lounge in Deep Ellum.