Shopping mall restaurants are generally not regarded as bastions of fine cuisine, but FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar at Minnesota’s Mall of America®  is changing that perception. In a November 13 review, restaurant critic Rick Nelson of the Minneapolis Star Tribune calls Firelake “a welcome catalyst for change.” He praises chef Paul Lynch (pictured at right), the eclectic menu, Minnesota farm-to-table focus and cutting-edge design.

“FireLake Grill marks a turnaround for Minnesota’s Mall of America,” he writes. Nelson praised chef Paul’s “well-practiced knack for pleasing a wide range of appetites,” citing shareable first courses, creations from the wood-burning grill, and innovative menu items from “less-traveled roads,” such as grilled elk with tangy lingonberries and quail legs wrapped in smoky bacon.

Nelson writes that Chef Lynch “takes his duties to heart as the unofficial Minnesota ambassador to the mall’s zillions of out-of-state visitors, plying them with some of the state’s iconic foodstuffs.”  He also pays tribute to the restaurant’s physical design. 

“Walls and ceilings are paneled in a veritable forest of weathered wood planks, a volume so great that it’s hard to imagine any 100-year-old barns remain standing in the state of Minnesota,” writes Nelson, who adds that he is “hard-pressed to come up with a more appealing south-suburban breakfast destination.”

The restaurant review was posted to the newspaper’s website, which has approximately 1.4 million visitors per month. The complete review is available online.  

The Star Tribune has also included FireLake in its poll of best restaurants at the Mall of America. To cast your vote, click here