Post Sushi Wind-down at the Toronado

Last night, after a four hour sushi dinner with our friends Toshi and Trish, Janet and I decided to head over to the Toronado for a couple of beers.

We got to the bar a little after midnight and squeezed up to the bar and were greeted by Ian and Johnny. We ordered up our first round. I had a Moonlight Toast and Janet, as usual, had a Guinness. Our intent was to stay for one beer and then head home so we wouldn’t be total zombies Sunday morning. However, that was not to be.

As the conversations with Ian and Johnny continued, we decided to stay for a second round, so we ordered up a 750 ml bottle of Gluhkriek (mulled sour cherry lambic). Saturday nights at the Toronado are usually loud and crowded, and last night was no exception. However, since it was 1 am by the we started in on the Gluhkriek, the crowd wasn’t nearly as bad as when we usually go to the Toronado (the 9pm rush hour).

Well, in general it was better. Sure, a alterna-dude spent the better part of the night hitting on a woman sitting next to me. That in itself was more amusing than annoying, but he was constantly bumping into me while performing his mating dance.. but about ten seconds before I was about to tap him on the shoulder, he left.

Fast forward about a half of a bottle into the Gluhkriek. Janet and I are trying to have a conversation when this little brown haired, flat-chested annoying as hell little chippie of a girl who was sitting next to Janet started wishing Janet a happy new year. Every few minutes, she would repeat herself… tap tap tap… happy new year! In our usual style, since we didn’t know who the hell she was, we simply ignored her as an annoying gnat of a person who couldn’t hold her liquor.

Last call came at 1:45, but we were still working on our last beer of the night: a 750ml bottle of the candy-like Kasteel Brown (a belgian lambic). As a courtesy to the bartenders, we stepped up our drinking speed so we could finish the beer before the bar closed at 2am. However, Ian reminded us that the 2am last call law is a prohibition of the sale of alcoholic beverages… there is nothing wrong with staying and finishing up a beer that you already paid for…. that is only if you are invited to stay.

We eventually dragged our sorry asses home early in the morning… and after a post bar shower, we were asleep a few hours before dawn. It was a long night, but certainly worth it.