Bellevue's Flatted Fifth Blues & BBQ a labor of love for Owners

BELLEVUE, Iowa — When a big part of your job exposes you to musicians who have honed their craft to an extremely high level, you tend to become a tad selective about the kind of live entertainment you take in on a given evening.

Such is the case for my husband and I, who — through various endeavors — have had a few cool and rare opportunities to rub elbows with some admirable talents.

One balmy evening earlier this month, we had a taste for something a little off-the-beaten-path but that we both had heard fit the bill for admirable. A hop, skip and a jump down a winding U.S. 52 found us in Bellevue, heading for the much-talked-about Flatted Fifth Blues & BBQ.

The former Potter’s Mill located at 300 Potter Drive and dating to 1843 was purchased by Mark and Rachel Herman, opening as Flatted Fifth Blues & BBQ in 2014.

The couple has converted the former restaurant and bed-and-breakfast into an establishment catering toward southern comfort tastes you can wash down with craft beer, wine or top-shelf scotches, whiskeys and specialty cocktails, with a zesty side dish of live blues and jazz.

“We want this to be a destination restaurant,” said Mark, co-owner and general manager. “We have a love for southern cuisine and what we consider to be world class blues and jazz music. And, we wanted to share that here.” (full article)

BY MEGAN GLOSS megan.gloss@thmedia.com

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