An invitation to a Lucky 12 dinner is kind of like a gold ticket wrapped in an artisan chocolate bar - a gathering of a mere 12 hand-picked pharaohs of Toronto culture. Which is why this latest installment of high-stakes social dining is such a stroke of social, if not culinary, genius. The stampede to the newest restaurant can be so great that at times one cannot make a reservation without giving the secret password. The emergence of Lucky 12 is a welcome reprieve in the face of the finicky food and colossal expense associated with contemporary fine dining. Many of today's "dining destinations" only specialize in "jittery" cuisine, hyper-constructed, unnecessarily flashy. Lucky 12 at Kultura and Victor is, by contrast, intimate and sweetly exciting, a bit of swash and buckle. Best of all, it's reserved for the initiated and the invited, which makes it about as desirable as you can get these days.

I attended the Lucky 12 Dinner Series at Kultura on August 6th, 2009. Among the list of Toronto notables at my table: Robin Neinstein, Drama Executive for CBC Television for The Tudors and Being Erica, David Purdy, Vice President and General Manager Television Products at Rogers Cable, Aubie Greenberg, Director, Programming for Astral Television Networks, Georgia Scherman, darling art dealer and curator with her own celebrated gallery, Georgia Scherman Projects.

Restaurant impresario Hanif Harji's vision at Kultura has built it's successs on a menu that knows no borders. I love his approach to culturally "open source" cuisine - Curried Spaetzle, Jamaican Chicken Risotto and Australian Lamb Racks are served in shared dishes so diners must dig in with their neighbours. Kultura's social dining concept, where dishes are shared amongst the table, is perfect for intimate group dinners like Lucky 12. Melding old-school origins with a sharp contemporary agenda, Kultura hits the perfect note with its breathless design, embracing historic ambiance, perfect for culture seeking epicureans.

At my Lucky 12 dinner, Kultura's global fare ranging from Thai and Chinese to Italian and Indian got as much play at the issues of the day. Conversation slowed to a sensuous hum as the Scallops with Gow Gee made its way into each lucky mouth. Served with braised beef cheeks, soy emulsion and crisped shallots, this dish is as multi-lingual as some of the guests in attendance. With the energetic buzz in the air, this Lucky 12 wonderland is going full throttle. Our conversation runs the gamut from: The Art and Arsenal of A Good Break Up, The Unbeatable Business Model of the UFC, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Usain Bolt.

Once could say I take being Lucky very seriously. I also attended the Lucky 12 dinner just the night before - at Victor Restaurant & Bar in Hotel Germain Toronto on August 5th, 2009. David Chrystian is one of my favorite Toronto chefs and any opportunity I have to tuck into his talented lap simply can't be resisted. With Chrystian at the helm, Victor offers modern, inventive - and very well-executed fare - using mainly local ingredients for an impressive menu. Chrystian demonstrates culinary bearings and technical poise uncommon among hotel chefs, and his cooking boasts a remarkable confidence. His earthy, robust flavours were a rich compliment to the lofty, provocative conversations of the Lucky 12.

Notable invitees on August 5th included Sean Buckley, the driving force behind Buck Productions whose most recent film,The Defendor, starring Woody Harrelson and Kat Denning is receiving a Special Presentation at TIFF. Aliya-Jasmine, a television Host & Producer for MTV, has interviewed stars we love to talk about - from Kanye West to Tom Cruise. Meghan Gogan of Siren Communications, the top Toronto firm representing luxury hotel and resort brands across the globe. Amy Logan Holmes, the savvy and smart Executive Director of Open Book: Toronto.Harley Valentine, who broke onto the Toronto Art scene with his first solo exhibition, a series of prints exploring Toronto's Great Fire 1904. Kaleidoscopic Conflagration

So, what really happens inside these social speakeasies? Think of a supper club with joie de vivre. One that likes to pose risque hypothetical scenarios. A table of curious questions and delectable answers. Toronto has strong roots in the entertainment industry. Ours is a stylish, cultured city, boasting a festivals calendar as long as your arm. Lucky 12 was designed to celebrate the tribe that makes it all happen.

The brain trust and host behind Lucky 12, Marcello Cabezas, a Toronto actor, writer and producer. He is also artistic director of production company MacIDeas and a self-proclaimed "cultural curator." An invitation to Lucky 12 comes directly from Cabezas, the idea being, if you're a mover and a shaker in Toronto's creative class, he'll find you.

Says Cabezas, "We are city and country that has many stars in their own right. Be it in the political space, arts, media, entertainment, finance, law, marketing - the list could go on, we have some real movers and shakers." He continues, "That said, often times these people do not connect often, and if they do, it is a brief exchange at a function, prohibiting any real depth of interaction to be explored."

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