Minneapolis restaurants Monello and Constantine will close in May

Mark your calendars: the last call for Jester Concepts' dual restaurant/bar inside the Hotel Ivy is May 31. The restaurant group announced today that Monello and its subterranean/gothic counterpart Constantine will close, and a new restaurant group will take its place.

Monello first opened in June 2015 with chef Mike DeCamp at the helm. DeCamp would eventually rise to the ranks of co-owner of the entire restaurant group, along with founder Brent Frederick. At the time Star Tribune critic Rick Nelson awarded it three and a half stars, remarking on DeCamp's deft skill with pasta, writing, "DeCamp fixates on non-mainstream pasta shapes, then goes all out to make them sing."

Nelson also praised DeCamp's "allergy to the ordinary," and that description could also be easily applied to the downstairs basement bar with its beloved burger and snacks menu. The cocktails nudge the boundaries of what would be expected to be found inside an upscale cocktail bar, playing with whimsy.

"It's been a fantastic eight years of food, hospitality and memories at Monello and Constantine," Frederick said in a statement. "While we're sad to go, we're thankful for the opportunity and to the community for so widely embracing us. We wish nothing but the best for APICII and their new concepts."

Last year Hotel Ivy was acquired by New York-based Monarch Alternative Capital. The statement says that the new ownership made the decision to move the food and beverage program inside the hotel in a different direction. APICII Hospitality is set to develop the new concept.