Shelter Lounge is Ballard’s stylish bar-with-food that won my heart with its ridiculous appetizers. The Avocado Fries ($6) are panko-breaded-and-deep-fried avocado slices that will make you swoon, while the PB&J Jalapeño Poppers ($7) defy logic by being the opposite of disgusting. They’re fresh, panko-breaded jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and peanut butter (?!?) and served with a sweet-and-spicy pepper jelly. Neither dish is anything you want tons of, but nibbling with drinky friends is perfect. (Plus, during happy hour—daily 4–6 pm—appetizers get cheap.) (Shelter Lounge, 4910 Leary Ave NW, 829-8568, 4 pm–1:30 am)

David Schmader—former weed columnist and Stranger associate editor—is the author of the solo plays Straight and Letter to Axl, which he’s performed in Seattle and across the US. His latest...