The Rose and Thorn opens in Middle Amana

By NICK NARIGON

Rachel Bromann opened the Rose and Thorn Public House in Middle Amana last month.

The Rose and Thorn Public House opened its doors in the middle of April and the time has just flown by since, said owner Rachel Bromann.

The Rose and Thorn, 2522 220th Trail, Middle Amana, began welcoming customers April 15. Bromann, 28, a native of Clinton, said the restaurant is in the style of an English pub, serving fish and chips, steak and ale and other cultural favorites.

Bromann co-owns the establishment with her father, Karl Bromann. Karl still lives in Clinton and makes the commute to help his daughter out when she needs help.

Rachel moved into the tiny apartment connected to the restaurant that once served as a barbershop.

“I love it here. So far everybody has been really friendly,” Rachel said. “It’s a beautiful area with a rich history.”

Bromann graduated from the University of Iowa in 2005 with a degree in English with a literature focus.

“By that time I didn’t know if that was what I wanted to do,” Bromann said.

She had worked her way through college by bartending at the Big Ten Inn Lounge, Coralville. After working there for seven years and being promoted to manager, the owners offered to sell the business to Bromann three years ago.

Bromann accepted the offer and still owns the Big Ten Lounge, though she will be looking to sell the restaurant next fall.

“My focus is out here now,” Bromann said.

Life has thrown a few curves at Rachel in the last couple of years. In 2007, her house in Iowa City burned down because of an electrical surge following an ice storm. Then Iowa City was flooded in the summer of 2008.

“Life just wasn’t the same in Iowa City. It was time to move on,” Bromann said.

She enjoys running the Big Ten Lounge, but she said she wanted to open a establishment from the ground up and create a business that reflects her personality better.

She began looking online at restaurants for sale. Bromann didn’t limit herself to Iowa. She looked at places in Ireland, England and even Gambia.

Little did she know the perfect restaurant was just down the road in Middle Amana. The building, the former home to the Pizza Haus, was up for sale and Bromann loved the building. The building, built in 1870, was the Middle Amana General Store for years.

She bought the store last October.

The English pub theme wasn’t a preconceived notion, but once Bromann saw the lay out of the building and the atmosphere, she decided to go with the pub-style theme.

The easiest decision was finding the name. Bromann searched online for the most common pub names and Roase and Thorn was the choice.

To go along with the pub theme, Bromann said the goal when renovating and redecorating the building was to create a casual, relaxed environment where people can have good food with good neighbors.

Bromann received help on designing the restaurant from her father, her business manager Emily Diercks and her boyfriend, Mark.

Karl Bromann built and designed the bar using mostly oak.

“I’ve built lots of things, but this is my first bar,” Karl said.

They installed booths and repainted the interior, put new vinyl floors in the bathroom and refinished the hardwood floors in the dining area.

Breakfast is served in the morning until roughly 10 a.m.

“But if you ask nice enough, I’m sure we will serve it after that,” Rachel Bromann said.

The pub favorites begin being served around lunch time. They also serve homemade pub pizzas. Bromann said her favorite is the chicken carbonera pizza, which has alfredo sauce, chicken, bacon and mushrooms.

The Rose and Thorn also serves a variety of beers, 38 varieties in bottle and four on tap.

Bromann said she has several long term goals, such as building a patio in the back and putting in a wine cellar with a private seating room. She would also like to finish the upstairs of the building for a three-bedroom apartment.

“I am confident I have found a home here,” Bromann said. “We will have a few hiccups, but we will work through them.”

The Rose and Thorn Public House is open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday.

UPDATED June 3, 2009 9:52 AM