Thistle and Thorne: At downtown's newest eatery, there's nothing like a tattoo after brunch

PANAMA CITY — Thistle and Thorne is more than downtown Panama City's newest eatery. It's a joint business that features delicious brunches and, wait for it, ... tattoos.

Thistle and Thorne opened on April 27 offering delightful brunch dishes joined with The Prominent Goat, a speakeasy tattoo parlor.

Reopening soon: Party time: Mosey's reopens after 3 years of rebuilding from Michael damage. Peek inside the venue

A smashing idea! Bay County's newest wine bar concept is self-serve. Peek inside the PCB spot

Owner and tattoo artist Sierra Latham had the idea of opening a business in the area through a last-minute decision with her partner, Lauren Barnaby. They circulated ideas of opening a tattoo parlor but wanted to join it with a concept where the community could have the best of two worlds — and that's where a restaurant came into place.

"It was an idea that evolved through a compromise with the community to have something fun that everyone could enjoy," Latham said. "I knew just having a tattoo shop wouldn't meet most people's needs, so we wanted something in this space that would compliment everyone."

Located at 304 Harrison Ave., the restaurant operates Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while The Prominent Goat operates by appointment only. In addition, Thistle and Thorne's hours extend to dinner hours on Friday from 4-10 p.m.

Executive Chef Eric Rickards dishes out flavors of Southern and coastal cuisine in the kitchen. All of the brunch offerings are served with roasted red potatoes and brunch beans, in addition to flavors of wine options.

Rickards said one of the popular dishes is the blackened alligator frittata which includes cage-free eggs whipped with cream, holy trinity mix vegetables, blackened alligator, mozzarella, balsamic glaze and creme fraiche drizzle.

"Since opening, we’ve been so busy and have sold out on most meals every day," Rickards said. "It's amazing to see the outpouring of support from the community has just been so big."

Latham said she thought of the restaurant's name based on elements from her favorite places she's traveled, and with Scotland being her most recent destination, she chose to reference the country's national flower, the thistle. She wanted to add to the name and created a column of botanical words and matched it with thorne.

Hidden at the back of the restaurant sits The Prominent Goat, a small tattoo studio that follows a speakeasy concept.

Latham said she originally planned to open the business in December but had to push back the date because of licensing issues. Now that she's open, she hopes her business will become a place that evolves through a supportive community.

She said development plans are in the works to help her businesses grow within the downtown area and local community in general. In addition, her team plans to host community-oriented events frequently and donate the proceeds to local charities.

"We just want to be a part of a community where we're creating an atmosphere for everyone together," Latham said. "We just want to have a safe space, and we wanted to be clear about our values and want people to know they are welcome here."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Thistle and Thorne eatery/tattoo shop opens in downtown Panama City