The last few weeks have been rough for restaurants across the city, and now Sierra Grill is joining the likes of Bigabaldi’s, Carpano and Tomi-Kro. After 33 years of business, Sierra Grill officially closed its doors last Thursday. One can’t help but wonder whether the closure had something to do with the aftermath of the Hepatitis A scare earlier this year, but owner Martin Dennis says that landlords wanted to bring a higher-end restaurant onto the property.

According to Dennis, property owner Orlando Corp. was looking to bring in a new restaurant, and Sierra Grill simply did not fit the bill. The decision to close was the result of an agreement between Sierra Grill and Orlando Corp.

The current building will be demolished. Beginning in January, construction will begin on a new building that will fit right in with the newly-renovated Bayview Village. A new, high-end, downtown-style restaurant is expected to open in spring or summer of 2012. Calls to Bayview Village to find out what the new restaurant will be were not immediately returned.

As for Dennis? He plans on taking a few months off for now.

“In the new year, I may take a look and see if there’s another spot where we can replicate what we had, but I have no firm plans at this point,” says Dennis.