Toronto has experienced plenty of loss over the last few years: the bid to the Olympics, the first Canadian run-in with star chef Gordon Ramsay, and, who could forget, the big break-up between the Raptors and its raison d'être, Vince Carter. Those of us who remember the glory days of Vince's stint in Toronto, might also recall catching glimpses of the baller at a little (well actually a big) club named Inside - of which Carter was part-owner. On the other side of Carter, proudly sat a boy with a different kind of balls, a then 22-year old, Travis Agresti, who spearheaded the Inside Entertainment Complex and eventually its upscale quotient Kai. But as is the case with the fickle nightclub scene, Inside soon enough went 'out,' leaving nothing but a ghostly carcass on Richmond St., reminding Torontonians not only that they were bereft of Carter, but also that they no longer had any place to go. As for Agresti, no one really knew what became of the promising young entrepreneur…until now.

Introducing Dolce Social Ballroom: a 28+ nightclub which, despite the name, has nothing to do with Mr. Carter or balls. The new Agresti branded nightclub, located at the coveted corner of King St. and Bathurst, was scheduled to open at the end of June but due to difficulties with the city (surprise, surprise), the opening has been pushed forward to late August – just in time for TIFF.

But Agresti is not the only man behind the mature club-goer's project. Long-time scenester and a man who has payed his dues by promoting, DJing, and all around partying, Joe Marella is putting a lot of work into the crepuscular venue. Eschewing almost all details, Marella maintains that Dolce Social Ballroom will introduce "a new kind of nightlife" to Toronto. But, Marella insists that the 6000 square-foot space, designed by California's design firm Mr. Important (Hard Rock Café Las Vegas), is a nightclub to the core. As odd as this may seem, Marella believes the nightclub concept has been bastardized by the supperclub notion; restaurants clearing away tables when the clock strikes 12, turning the server's stomping grounds into a dance floor, simply does not fit the (most-likely inflated) bill.

Dolce's draw will be its personalized, wireless, service; it's 2000 sq. foot rooftop, and of course the fact that the party at Dolce is not dependant on its crowd. Marella says Dolce will have so much entertainment, some of it interactive, that it won't matter whether there are 800 people (which is the bar's capacity) or 80 people present. What exactly this elusive entertainment is, is yet to be determined, or, at least, revealed to me.

As with any large-scale opening, what the future holds for Dolce Social Ballroom is questionable. But with hearsay of bouncer's throwing out patrons who don't look old enough (and I mean the mid-twenties crowd) there is one thing to be said about it for sure; it's the first Toronto club where people are going to get insulted if they don't get turned away. – E.H