As we go through life we develop a canon of truisms - self-evident, obvious truths that guide us on our sometimes rocky path. Do unto others, is probably one of the most famous, but the list is long and gets longer as we learn and grow.

I recently added a truism to my personal canon. One so obvious and evident that I can’t believe it took me forty years to come to this realization: never take your parents to a drag queen nightclub because at some point you may wind up on a stripper pole of front of them.

They wanted to go. That’s all I’m saying.

Lucky Cheng’s in Las Vegas is a sister restaurant, cabaret, and bar to the New York entertainment spot that refers to itself as “The Drag Queen Capital of the World.” Renown for its raucous atmosphere, the attitude has certainly been transported fully intact to the Nevada desert.

We’ll get to the entertainment portion of the program shortly, but first let’s start with drinks and dinner. A full bar serves up whatever libation you might be in the mood for but check out the signature drink specials, many with names that I can’t actually reprint here. Drinking is encouraged, if for no other reason than it will loosen you up for the show ahead and that’s probably a good thing.

Dinner is in the form of a prix fixe (formerly $40, now $70, some dishes add a few bucks), three course meal consisting of an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. It’s all Pan-Asian inspired with things like chicken or shrimp stuffed lettuce wraps stuffed in a tangy chili sauce and Thai beef tenderloin salad for starters; chicken and shrimp skewers, grilled ahi tuna, hibachi grilled filet mignon, and black white sesame coated salmon for main courses; and cake or ice cream for dessert.

I have to admit I didn’t have very high hopes for the cuisine but it was surprisingly good. The lettuce wraps were tangy in all the right ways with that delicate blend of cool and hot done well; the filet was cooked perfectly and rested with care on a bed of Wasabi mashed potatoes; and the drinks (which cost extra) were delicious. I left dessert off my list of things that worked well, but hey it was chocolate and it was cake and so what’s to complain about?

Then comes the show, an, um, “eclectic” mix of Drag Queen entertainment from live singing to lip synching to dancing with lots and lots and lots of audience participation both encouraged and at times required. This is not a show where you can sit quietly in the corner and expect to be left alone – Drag Queens don’t work like that. No, this is a show where you will be expected to hoot and holler and be stupid and probably wind up on a stripper pole.

The performers will vary, of course, but on our evening we had four ladies working the runway and they ranged from merely adequate to quite spectacular. Naya Simone, a person I will officially crown as the hardest working diva in show business, not only delivers drinks, waits tables, and acts as entertainment director for the club, she performs in the show as well and her take on a ‘50s era teenage girl in love is downright delirious.

The show is raunchy at times (they’re Drag Queens, what did you expect?) and definitely not for the faint of heart or anyone with even the slightest bit of “please don’t look at me” inhibitions. Guys, expect to be teased, taunted, partially undressed, and the recipient of lots of simulated sexual activity, something that will probably embarrass the hell out of you but your wives and girlfriends will love it. They’ll take pictures. Women, expect slightly less lascivious but similar treatment.

After the show on busier nights they do karaoke, if you’re looking to get in on the entertainment act yourself.

The obviously open-minded audience on the night I was there ate it up and I enjoyed myself too. Except for that whole stripper pole thing. Okay, in my defense I didn’t know the reason they were bringing guys up out of the audience was in order to subject them to a stripper pole contest. And I did have them cover my parents’ faces with napkins when it was my turn. And I made two bucks in tips. And I would’ve won but the other guy took his shirt off and I wasn’t willing to stoop to cheap theatrics.

All in all, a wild good time with kicky cocktails and a surprisingly good meal for around $50 a person. There are worse ways to spend a night in Las Vegas.