'DRAG QUEEN' RESTAURANT SUES OVER ASPERSIONS ON ITS FOOD.

Lucky Cheng's, Manhattan's "original drag queen restaurant," is suing the Zagat Survey for giving it a food rating of 9 out of a possible 30.

The guide publishes restaurant reviews based almost entirely on ratings by patrons, with scores reflecting the quality of the food, decor and service.

In its lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, a trial-level court, the restaurant said Zagat's 2004 edition, printed last October, did not reflect improvements since new owners took over in April 2002.

"God knows 'you don't go for the food'," says Zagat's entry on Lucky Cheng's; "rather you go to 'gawk' at the 'hilarious,' 'cross dressing' staff. Well-wishers suggest they 'freshen up the menu - and their makeup.' "

The restaurant claimed the reviews "falsely state the quality of food and beverage, service, wait staff, sanitation and cleanliness are substandard and unworthy of patronage."

It seeks $10 million for libel and negligence, an estimated $30,000 a week in lost income since the review's publication, reimbursement of $250,000 in advertising costs and an injunction against more copies being printed.

The establishment's own website makes scant mention of cuisine, which it describes as "Asian fusion and Polynesian."

"For a special night out in New York, whether to shock your 'wild' friends from Des Moines, or to host a birthday party, a bachelorette party, even an office party, try Lucky Cheng's, the original drag queen restaurant," the website says, going on to extol the quality of the entertainment and cocktails.

Alexa Rudin, director of communications for the Zagat Survey, said the organization is confident of its review and stands by it. "This is not one person's opinion," she said. "This is the collective opinions of the contributors."