Mall Of America Hotel

Bites Nearby: RedRossa is an Out-of-the-Mall Experience

Sooner or later, we all go to the Mall of America. Perhaps later than sooner, we've tried all the MOA restaurants and crave a new dining experience.

You'll get that by taking a quick trip south, across Killebrew Drive, to the latest restaurant up to bat, RedRossa Italian Grille , attached to the updated Bloomington Best Western Hotel.

If you're a penny pincher, take note that daily Happy Hours—3 to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close—offer nibbles and beverages as inexpensive as three bucks. For that you can try Italian nachos, mini-bruschetta (my favorite) and draft beer or wine. A dollar or two more buys even more classy appetizers and drinks.

My picks from a tasting during opening week in July were sausage and peppers pizza atop crispy, delicate crust, baked in a wood-fired oven, and particularly, Brasato Al Chianti, which married wine-marinated braised short ribs with creamy polenta and grilled asparagus. I'd go back for either—or more likely, both—anytime.

RedRossa is a transplant from Sioux Falls, S.D., where it is among a broad collection of restaurants, such as the venerable Minerva's, all managed by the WR Group, which is making its first foray into Minnesota.

They've chosen Carl Littlejohn to be the Bloomington start-up's executive chef. He was previously at Ike's in downtown Minneapolis, one of my absolute favorite metro eateries (their four-layer chocolate cake, so towering it has to be propped up by a steak knife, is nirvana). Littlejohn seems to be as adept with Italian fare as he was with Ike's American.

RedRossa's handsome new home is at 1901 Killebrew Drive, Bloomington, and reservations might be in order because the word is getting around the MOA and environs that the food is worth crossing the road. Call 952-814-2910.

Homestead Suites, Mall of America

Our recent visit to Minneapolis, Minnesota was meant to be a combination visit to the Mall of America and other sites in the Minneapolis area.  Unfortunately, we chose to visit during a budget crisis in which all state facilities were closed down.  Therefore, the majority of our vacation was spent at the hotel and in the Mall of America.  The hotel, Homestead Suites, is part of the Hilton chain and it was located immediately across the street from the Mall of America.

We arrived in Minneapolis and contacted the hotel regarding the free shuttle from the airport.  Billy, the driver, was absolutely delightful, and got us to the hotel in about 10 minutes.  He pointed out the Mall of America as we turned in and told us where the safest place to cross to get to the mall was, but did remind us that the shuttle picked up and dropped off at the top of every hour.  Check-in was quick and our room was immediately ready, even though we arrived prior to 3 PM.

The room was a one bedroom suite with a king bed in the bedroom area and a pull-out sofa bed in the living area.  It had a full kitchen with stove top, microwave oven, full-sized refrigerator, toaster and coffee pot.  However, while others were napping, I opened a soda that we had purchased at the airport and some of it spilled on the counter and floor.  There were no cleaning supplies in the suite, so I did the best I could to clean it up using the little bottles of shampoo in the bathroom.

The hotel housekeeping staff could use a little work.  The soda that had spilled the first day we were there left a sticky residue on the floor.  The floor and counter remained sticky for three of the six days we were there.  In addition, there were 4 of us in the room.  The maid consistently left 3 towels, even though I visited the front desk each morning to ask for extra towels. The coffee was only replenished one day, and the sugar was never replenished.  The complimentary popcorn was only replaced once, even though we ate both bags.

The hotel offered a fresh, hot breakfast every morning and a cooked dinner weeknights.  We enjoyed the breakfast, but the design of the breakfast area was not guest friendly.  There were often long lines, and we never had the fresh made waffles because the line was always incredibly long.  The food we did have was excellent, however.  We only ate at the evening meal once, and it was very good.  However, it is advertised on the website as a “cocktail” hour, yet this hotel does not have a bar or restaurant on site, so the “cocktails” were non-alcoholic, which is not a problem, but should be addressed on the website to avoid confusion.

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