Restaurant Brings Ice House Back to Life
by June 19, 2006 12:00 am 187 views
Christy Martin has spent about $2 million to renovate the 100 year-old ice house building in Bentonville, transforming it into a restaurant that dishes out what many diners say is nothing like Northwest Arkansas dining.
The Ice House of Bentonville opened April 14 serving dinner and offering live music on Friday and Saturday nights, Martin said. The 16,000-SF building has a dining room capacity of 120, but the whole building can be transformed to accommodate 2,000 diners. By late June, Martin plans to open a 1,800-SF section for private parties, which can seat about 200.
The dinner menu consists of pasta dishes, ranging from $11 to $13; steaks, priced from $15 to $25; and soups, salads and sandwiches for $7.
The restaurant has two full bars. The one in the Band Room has a bar top made of ice, which helps patrons keep their beverages cool when setting it down.
On June 7, The Ice House began serving lunch as well as dinner. Martin said she started with a soft opening in April, serving only dinner before expanding the menu to include lunch. Starting in late July, she will also extend the restaurant’s hours to include a Sunday brunch.
For lunch, diners have a choice of burgers and sandwiches, ranging from $6 to $7, and steaks, chicken and pastas, priced from $6 to $12. There’s also a choice of dessert — turtle cheesecake, carrot cake or Bananas Foster cake, each $5.
The Ice House, located at 406 S.E. 5th St., employs about 60 people. Martin said she’s working on booking national acts to perform at the restaurant once a month.
The restaurant had $31,200 in food sales for the 17 days it was open in April, according to Bentonville’s city tax records.