What You'll Get
Good food and true friends are two of life's great pleasures, but only one of those pleasures doesn't presume to advise you on the benefits of wearing pants. Today's Groupon lets you feast without judgment at Mildred's Temple Kitchen on Hanna Avenue. Choose between two dining options:
- For $30, you get $60 worth of dinner fare and drinks.
- For $15, you get $30 worth of lunchtime eats and drinks.
Mildred's Temple Kitchen harnesses the bounty of Toronto's local markets to power a fresh, farmhouse chic cuisine that's both hearty and healthy, in a dining area that the Globe and Mail wrote "combines modernism and warmth in one sexy package." Knock the rust off your tongue with an appetizer of handcrafted ricotta gnudi and spinach ($13) or rejoice in the fresh flavours by scooping up shoots and leaves ($18), accented with sprouted legumes, spelt and house smoked salmon. The gnocchi poutine ($14), slathered in oxtail gravy and topped with cheese curds, while a helping of the Great Lakes pickerel ($28) ushers taste buds into an auditorium of delicious sensations. Ease to satiation with a pot of Mildred's gourmet tea ($3.95) or a Mildred's Margarita ($8.50), dashed with curaçao.
Wall-length windows and simple stainless steel and wood surfaces suffuse Mildred's with an air that's both welcoming and sophisticated, like a goodie bag filled with monocles. Mildred's commitment to sustainability ranges from ottomans made of recycled cardboard to a seasonal, locally sourced menu, endowing diners with the opportunity to put their morals with their mouths are. Reservations are required for lunch and dinner.
Reviews
Yelpers give Mildred’s Temple Kitchen an average of 3.5 stars. TripAdvisors give it an average of 3.5 owl eyes.
- We had a weekday lunch and Sunday brunch and both experiences were exceptional. The experience started off well with very friendly hosts and just kept getting better. – KelvinOttawa, TripAdvisor
- Decided to go on a Saturday without a reservation. Arrived at about 7:30 and was seated at the counter overlooking the kitchen. Fabulous place to enjoy the experience! – TripAdvisor on 08/02/2009
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Jun 13, 2011. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1/person, may buy 1 add'l as a gift. Limit 1/table, 2/table of 5 or more. Reservation req'd. Valid only for option purchased. Dine-in only. Not valid on Winterlicious, brunch or "the Quickie" lunch option. Tax/gratuity not included. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About Mildred's Temple Kitchen
Though Mrs. Biederhof, Monty, and Veda play central roles in the world of Mildred Pierce, in Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, they’re covered in sauce and served on shared plates. Restaurateurs Donna Dooher and Kevin Gallagher discovered their mutual love for the classic novel and film when working in an upscale restaurant in Ottawa. Their shared passion for local, approachable cuisine led them to open their warehouse-district eatery in 1989, though they eventually settled in Liberty Village, where they continue to serve their character-inspired dishes with the aid of a diverse team of chefs.
Their chefs draw from a range of culinary backgrounds to reinvent classic dishes with global twists, such as gnocchi poutine, Sri Lankan–style shrimp and crab cakes, and chicken biryani. Though many of their menu items change seasonally, some have been menu mainstays since the beginning, including burgers hand-ground in house, profiteroles infused with Lindt chocolate, and pancakes hand-raised on a farm. To ensure each dish lives up to its potential, staff members seek out the freshest potatoes, asparagus, strawberries, and other produce on twice-weekly visits to the Ontario Food Market and use only Ocean Wise–certified fish.
Servers ferry dishes to small tables and a large, communal harvest table in the contemporary dining space, where hardwood floors contribute a rustic aesthetic and railroad-side windows spill in natural light while keeping out engine noises and railway bandits. A slightly raised, open kitchen lets diners watch their chefs prepare the meal, and an outdoor patio lets them bask in warmer weather.