In a turn of events that will make it mercifully more difficult for me to gain weight, Chilly Willy’s ice cream on 2nd St. is apparently dunzo. Employee Katie told me that within a few weeks, Willy's, which serves hand-dipped Hershey’s Ice Cream among other frozen confections, will be pushing coffee and donuts. I asked her what the place would be called, and she said she had, “no idea.” I also got a dish of ice cream. Of course. Ron Kamionka was listed as the owner of Chilly Willy's on the City of Harrisburg press release that announced its opening on June 6, 2007. If he still owns it, the new venture will be his second in Harrisburg this month after he opened Sam Bucca’s Pizza Pub two weeks ago. The yet-to-be-named coffee shop may not be long for this world anyway if the proposed 210 North Second project moves forward. There was another line in Chilly Willy’s grand opening press release that I found interesting: “Soon, the new establishment, called Chilly Willy’s, will also begin offering a full range of beverages and, with a state liquor license, will serve Irish coffees, aperitifs and crème de menthe parfaits as after-dinner treats for patrons of all nearby restaurants.” Needless to say, this did not happen for one reason or another. As a former ice cream slinger (Hershey’s Ice Cream Freezer Class of ’05, baby) and a devoted lover of Cookies ‘n Cream, this makes me a bit sad. It’s amazing to me that with all of the midday foot traffic in Harrisburg, an ice cream parlor can’t make a go of it.

Restaurants close for many reasons. It could be bad food, less than stellar service, bad location, or poor money management. It even happens to the good ones. As reported by Sue, it sounds like Dorado on the Camp Hill bypass on the West Shore is in the process of being sold and has closed for the time being. I have heard it may be the same owners as Kokomos on Route 22. My guess is Dorados will be called Aroogas as this is the new name of the former Kokomos on 22. It’s also being reported on the PennLive Forums that the New Market Bistro is closed. The owners are from the former Cafe on Market in Camp Hill. One person writes “I read that the rent was astronomical and Holy Spirit is trying to push everyone out of that area.” Both Dorado and New Market Bistro claimed to be upscale dining establishments and were located on opposite sides of the Camp Hill Bypass. It’s sad to see either of these places close, but it could be a sign the economy is catching up with everyone.