'Top Chef' contestant opening first Minneapolis restaurant at new Moxy hotel

Justin Sutherland is coming to Minneapolis.

The "Top Chef" contestant's Pearl and the Thief, formerly in Stillwater, will be based out of the Moxy Downtown Minneapolis and Ironclad Residential building (247 Chicago Av. S.).

The hotel and residences are expected to open by the end of June, and the corner whiskey-and-oyster bar will follow later this summer.

"We were so happy to find such a terrific new home for Pearl and the Thief," Sutherland said in a release. "We were looking for the perfect location and are so happy to have found it in the Moxy Downtown and Ironclad Residential."

Expect some of the same cool blues from the original location. Architect and designer Jacque Bethke, who did the Stillwater location, is behind the new Pearl and the Thief. With a larger footprint, the space will be open, with floor-to-ceiling windows. A parking lot for guests adjoins the property.

Chef Brandon Randolph will be back in the kitchen, adding new items to the Southern-style menu, including more oysters. Look for craft cocktails, local beers and local spirits.

Hotel operations are managed by Graves Hospitality, and the residences are managed by Kharbanda Management.

"We are so excited to open the Moxy Downtown and having Pearl and the Thief as the restaurant fulfills our goals to bring the best food and drinks to our guests," said Ben Graves, chief operating officer of Graves Hospitality, in a news release. The company will manage the operations of the hotel.

"With the location, the restaurant and the combination of residences and hotel rooms, we are joining a very dynamic and growing neighborhood and can't wait to be a part of it all."