Bellanotte, once one of downtown Minneapolis' hottest nightlife destinations, has closed.

The Italian restaurant became a magnet for Minnesota Vikings and Timberwolves players soon after it opened in 2004. After months of speculation, its closing adds another vacancy to an already withering Block E.

Investor Kam Talebi said the ailing economy threw the restaurant into a "downward spiral" that resulted in Saturday's shutdown. Bellanotte was owned by a who's who of restaurateurs, many of whom operate other establishments. Kam and Keyvan Talebi recently opened their second Crave, David Koch owns Seven, and Randy Norman is opening Om down the block. In a recent bankruptcy filing, auto dealer Denny Hecker listed a 51 percent stake in the restaurant.

Bellanotte's shuttering follows a string of high-profile restaurant closings downtown, including Morton's and D'Amico Cucina, in recent weeks.

Bellanotte had pulled its paid advertising months ago, said marketing manager Richard Oknick. The restaurant also closed its doors during the July 4 weekend, only to reopen the following Monday.

It was rumored that the large restaurant -- listed at more than 10,000 square feet -- had been looking for another business to take over its lease inside Block E.

"The problem is nobody wants anything that big," said Andrea Christenson, a retail specialist at the Twin Cities office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker. "If it was something like 3,500 square feet, it would have gone in a week."

TOM HORGEN