Scandal-tainted Mariosarti has opened again on Toowong’s high street under the guidance of new owner Kim Hamson

AS always, there’s good news and bad news in the Brisbane restaurant space. One eatery has re-opened, while another has closed - an outcome that may have been predicted by scathing online commentary.

Kim Hamsom illustration by Jonathan Bentley.

GOOD NEWS

AS always, there’s some good news and bad news in the Brisbane restaurant space.

First the good bit.

Scandal-tainted Mariosarti has thrown open its doors again on Toowong’s high street under the guidance of new owner Kim Hamson.

She bought the award-winning Italian eatery on Sherwood Road for an undisclosed sum from Daniel Milos after he was granted bail last month on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

That followed police raids in Brisbane and the Gold Coast which seized $750,000 worth of drugs. Both Milos and his then head-chef, Ryan McIver, were arrested and charged in what police allege was one of the Queensland’s biggest cocaine and ice busts.

Hamson, a former ReMax real estate agent, comes to the job well-schooled in the art of hospitality.

Over a 20-plus year career in the dining game, Hamson spent time as a business partner of respected restaurateur Matthew Hill-Smith in well-regarded eateries Shuck and Pescatore. She also worked at his long-gone outlet Pier Nine, as well as John Kilroy’s Cha Cha Char. Hamson told City Beat yesterday that buying the Mariosarti business was a fraught affair since police had caveats over the property thanks to proceeds of crime laws.

Mercifully, the 14 full and part-time staff (collectively known as “the kids’’) have all been retained and the menu remains the same, much to the relief of devoted patrons.

Regular diners were a tad worried when the 80-seat restaurant closed for three weeks despite Milos saying it was “business as usual’’ following the bust.

“People are so excited it’s reopened. It’s been here for 22 years,’’ Hamson said.

BAD NEWS

NOW for the bad stuff.

Iconic Brisbane restaurant Wilsons On The River has closed its door for good.

The sole owner of the seafood eatery, Ali Jedid, appointed liquidators this week to wind up the joint.

Jedid did not return City Beat’s calls hoping to learn why things went pear-shaped, which occupied a prominent spot on the corner of Coronation Dr and Park Rd.

Liquidators with SM Solvency Accountants said it was too early to say how much was owing to creditors.

But it’s understood that debts will amount to several hundred thousand dollars and those owed money will retrieve nothing from the wreckage.

One of the liquidators, Leon Lee, alleged yesterday that Wilsons suffered from large cash withdrawals over the past few months. Union-related landlords also locked out the business due to non-payment of rent, he said.

Despite its prominent location in the historic Cook Terraces building and delightful city views, Wilsons and other eateries seem somehow jinxed.

Among the casualties over the years have been Joseph Alexander, The Reserve, Louis Feraud Wine Bar, Harrowers and Omeros Brothers. Even the bloke who built the place in 1888, Joseph Blain Cook, went bust!

In a sign of things to come, dudded customers posted furious comments on the restaurant’s FaceBook page and Trip Advisor in the months leading up to the closure. One couple alleged they have had no luck recouping an agreed $3650 refund for a cancelled function in late March.

Others say their anniversary plans were spoiled. “So it’s our 20th Wedding Anniversary today and a week ago we booked Wilsons on the River for 7pm tonight,’’ one outraged consumer wrote last month. “We were promised a special table with river views. We turned up all dressed up at 6.55pm and the entire place was CLOSED! Locked up tight and lights out!! Thanks Wilsons. You suck. Thanks for calling to let us know.’’