It’s quickly become a ritual for me. Each time I see a band at Wonder Ballroom, I have a delicious pre-meal at Toro Bravo next door. Life could suck much more.

The show in question was last week’s Stars concert. Stars is a Canadian band that crafts wonderful little nuggets of pop goodness.

The night started off with a Red Delicious(?). Aviation gin, muddled with roasted red peppers and mint.

The menu at Toro Bravo now features a “charcuterie” section, which included this BLT with heirloom tomatoes, arugula, and house-cured bacon. I could not keep myself from ordering it, and it was delivered open-faced. A toasted slice of crusty bread, smeared with a delicious aioli, served as the base. It was just how I envisioned it. Tart zucchini pickles were a nice side.

This is a flash-saturated, washed out photo of the spicy prawn and octopus stew, studded with piquant caper berries. I find this dish impossible not to order every time I visit Toro Bravo.

The “Barwikowski”, a nod to Clyde Common’s Jason Barwikowski, in this case included a pint of Caldera pale and a shot of tequila (Patron).

This set the stage nicely for Stars.