Nightlife in Lakewood

Each month, Twisted Flicks showcases one charmingly tacky, past-its-prime film and gives it an off-the-cuff audio makeover. These 90-minute yukfests paint inventive humor across low-budget cinematic canvasses including I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Kronos, Ravager of Planets, and Zombie with a News Desk: The Larry King Story. Each unique 90-minute performance is appropriate for all ages and incorporates audience suggestions. The talented funnybone-prodders create new dialogue as well as sound effects and music, while audiences feast upon popcorn, candy, and chortle-loosening libations available at the theater's concession stand and full bar. Humor savants and armchair comedians should arrive early to contribute their creative suggestions and secure first-come, first-served seating.

Listed as one of dive-bar aficionado Mike Seely's top 10 watering holes, The Waterwheel Lounge provides nightly events, live music, and a focused menu of celebrated favorites. Bust out the wipes and wrap hands around an ambitiously portioned brisket sandwich served with coleslaw and baked beans ($7.95). Wings, served hot or not ($7.50), hand-cut fries ($3.50), and onion rings ($4) side well with ice-cold suds and expansive patio views. After 4 p.m., indulge in the famous fried chicken, a trifecta of comfort with gravy-smothered mashed potatoes and a side of veggies ($9.95). Feast upon bigger bites such as beer dogs ($1), barbecue ribs ($11.95), or a chef's salad ($6.50) without the fuss of a well-meaning dad who insists he put the Q in BBQ.

Amid exposed-brick and wooden walls, barkeeps at The Living Room blend libations such as Templeton Rye and St. Germain with sodas, fruits, and foams. Chefs whip up light bites, cheese plates, and bocadillo sandwiches to sop up the signature cocktails.

The Living Room's rotating contemporary-art exhibitions add intrigue to the downstairs bar and the upstairs fireplace, where a retired FDR still delivers his fireside chats to anyone who will listen. In addition to hosting Sunday-night trivia, The Living Room makes good on its title as "a beacon of eclectic sonic delights," according to (The Stranger), with a roster of DJs and electronic musicians.

Owner Steve Olson added Parlor Live to the Parlor complex in 2008 as a way to bring big city-caliber evening entertainment to suburban Bellevue. National comedians take the stage in a wide, shallow room with seating that wraps around three sides of the action as colored shapes produced by a sophisticated lighting system dance across the walls. A globally inspired menu introduces the agonizing dilemma of whether to laugh, fill one’s mouth, or mold little edible hearts to toss toward the performer with shareable dishes that include garlic-gorgonzola waffle fries and coconut prawns. The drink menu, too, aims to surprise with complex cocktails that range from a classic old-fashioned to a sparkling rosemary potion with Aperol.