Back Bay Grill, a fixture in Portland's restaurant scene, will not reopen

Mar. 3—Back Bay Grill owner Larry Matthews Jr. announced on Facebook Thursday that his restaurant, a mecca of old-school fine dining in Portland since 1988, is closing for good.

"It's just time. It's sad to see it come to an end, but that's what has to happen," Matthews said in a phone interview. He has owned Back Bay Grill since 2002, and has cooked there since 1997. "I didn't feel like I had any more to give."

Matthew said on Facebook that he'll be clearing out the restaurant this month and selling equipment and other items. He is currently working as carpenter, and told the Press Herald he has no plans to embark on any food-related projects "for a long time."

Last August, Matthews announced he was stepping back from running the day-to-day operations and that his restaurant would be run by a new, three-person management team known as Six Degrees at Back Bay Grill. Since then, Matthews said, "we'd hoped to find somebody to take (the restaurant) over, but that didn't work out."

Back Bay Grill had been closed since late December. "We were planning to take the winter off, then regroup in the spring."

Saddened by the news, regular customers filled the restaurant's Facebook page with comments wishing Matthews well and waxing nostalgic about their memorable dinners at Back Bay Grill over the years. Press Herald restaurant critic Andrew Ross gave the acclaimed eatery 4 1/2 stars in his 2020 review.

"I'm overwhelmed by the people reaching out today, and to know how important the place was to people over the years," Matthews said. "But I didn't want to reopen and do this half-heartedly. It's certainly the end of an era."