NEW HARMONY, Ind. − If you’re heading to New Harmony to do any Christmas shopping or fall hiking, there is a new restaurant to try – Fire & Ice café and ice cream shop.
Adam and Nikki Williams are the owners. They live next door above their other business, Firehouse Antiques. This year, they wanted to open something for families and kids. Here are a few reasons for you to visit.
The interior of Fire & Ice is wild
“Fullly immersive” is how the Williamses describe the electric ambience of the shop, which even has covered windows so diners are totally surrounded.
“When we go out West we enjoy Meow Wolf immersive art installation − once you walk in you’re gone, and you’re in only that environment,” Adam said. “We wanted to make something like that, only on a much smaller scale. The 80s and 90s arcade feel has been extremely popular with the younger generation.”
The interior is painted in neon turquoise and magenta, with decals by Brad Young of Spitfire Graphics. The inside of the windows are coated with an image of the Ribeyre Center across the street, just as you'd see it if you were looking out the window, but in stark monochrome with a glowing sky reminiscent of a scene from "Stranger Things." As a matter of fact, the "Stranger Things" theme song is part of the atmospheric Synthwave music on the speakers.
That ceiling, though
The ceiling, which is frankly both cheerful and a little eerie, is equipped with pink bulbs and a layer of fluffy Poly-fil “clouds” backed with flashing blue and pink light strips that can be controlled from the owners’ phones. It can even flash in tempo to music.
There are free video games
Pac Man, Centipede, Galaga, are there. There's also an old 8-bit Nintnendo Entertainment System and a Super Nintendo on hand for free play.
The ice cream
Oh yeah, there’s food, too. Fire & Ice features ice cream by Evansville’s own JB’s Barnyard. Fourteen changing flavors are available at any time. Examples are peanut butter fudge, red velvet chocolate swirl, espresso chip and apple cider sorbet.
The savory food
Adam described the restaurant as, “almost like a brick and mortar food truck,” meaning the limited menu of sandwiches and other savory offerings would change each week. Seasonal soups are cooking now, too.
Recent entrée offerings have been a pizza bun, house-smoked pulled pork sandwiches, chili, pot roast soup, and a ham and Swiss croissant. Watch for chicken and dumplings over the winter. When the weather is warmer, lighter fare such as chicken salad sandwiches will be offered.