Tuesday, July 29, 2014

TUESDAY DAILY REPORT

ANOTHER SUPER  WEATHER DAY TODAY!
SUNNY AND 78.
MORE.    MORE.     MORE.

NO NEWS REPORT TODAY.

NO LOCAL SPORTS EITHER.

SORRY...ONE OF THOSE DAYS.

FOR THE TOP 100 PHOTOS TAKEN BY  DAVID VOY AT THE JACKSON COUNTY
FAIR SUNDAY... GO TO....
     http://photos.maquoketa.com/JC-FAIR-SUN-TOP-100/

DO CHECK MY "ENTRY" BELOW ON THE NEW BELLEVUE
RESTAURANT.

COMING BACK HOME TO MAQUOKETA FOR A VISIT YET
THIS SUMMER?   STOP IN AND TO SAY HELLO.

DENNIS VOY

POTTER'S MILL COMING TO LIFE AGAIN

POTTER'S MILL, LOCATED ALONG MILL CREEK, IS THE  HOME FOR "FLATTED FIFTH BLUES AND BBQ" WHICH OPENS FOR BUSINESS THIS FRIDAY.        MANY OF YOU HAVE DINED IN THE RESTORED GRIST MILL BUILDING  OFTEN OVER THE  YEARS UNTIL IT CLOSED SEVERAL YEARS AGO.     YOU TOOK THE ELEVATOR TO THE 2ND FLOOR TO EAT.
NOW,  YOU WILL DINE ON THE 1ST FLOOR WHERE THE BAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN.     THE 2ND FLOOR WILL BE USED FOR OVERFLOW AND A GIFT SHOP
AND HIGH SCHOOL ART GALLERY.  
OPENING THEIR OWN BBQ RESTAURANT FEATURING SOUTHERN FOOD
HAS BEEN A DREAM OF THEIRS.     THEY NOW LIVE IN ROCHESTER BUT
ARE NATIVES OF THIS AREA.    RACHEL HERMAN GREW UP IN MT. MORRIS,
ILLINOIS AND HUSBAND MARK IN THE MASON CITY AREA.     THEY HAVE A
DAUGHTER GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE AND ONE ENTERING COLLEGE.
MARK WILL SPEND MOST OF HIS TIME IN BELLEVUE AND RACHEL WILL
CONTINUE AS A NURSE PRACTITIONER  AT ROCHESTER.
ANDREW WEIS IS THE CHEF.   HE GRADUATED FROM BELLEVUE HIGH SCHOOL IN 2004 AND FROM CORDON BLEU COLLEGE OF CULINARY ARTS IN
MINNEAPOLIS IN 2006.     HE HAS BEEN A CHEF IN BOTH DUBUQUE AND
GALENA.      HE WORKED AT POTTER'S MILL  WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND IS
GLAD TO BE BACK HOME.

TODAY WAS "TEST THE WATER" DAY AND INVITED CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MEMBERS GAVE THE CHEF AND STAFF A TIME TO "PRACTICE" FOR THE
GAME WHICH STARTS FRIDAY.     KMAQ IS A BELLEVUE CHAMBER MEMBER AND SO NANCY AND I (WITH CAMERA) ARRIVED FOR A SNEAK PEAK AND
EAT TIME.     WHEN WE ARRIVED, ALREADY SEATED, MAQUOKETE CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE DIRECTOR TOM DEVINE, BELLEVUE CHAMBER DIRECTOR
DEANNA COOK AND AT RIGHT, MARY JO GOTHARD, DIRECTOR OF THE
MAQUOKETA AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.
 
OUR WAITRESS WAS ELIZABETH HAYWARD OF MAQUOKETA, WHO HAS LOTS
OF EXPERIENCE.    AT ONE TIME, OWNER WITH HER HUSBAND OF THE PUB CLUB IN LOST NATION.      IN CASE YOU ARE WONDERING, WE CHOSE THE APPETIZER, FRIED PICKLES  AND NANCY HAD THE BREADED SHRIMP PO BOY AND I HAD THE BEEF BRISKET.     I HAD A UNIQUE (LITTLE-SQUARES CUT- POTATOS) POTATO SALAD AND NANCY HAD A GRILLED PINEAPPLE SALAD.
ALL THE FOOD WAS VERY GOOD AND THE BREAD PUDDING (WHICH WE
SHARED) I GAVE A 10.
IN ONE CORNER OF THE DINING ROOM IS THE BAR ABOVE AND THERE IS
A SMALL STAGE IN ANOTHER CORNER FOR "LIVE" MUSIC BY A SMALL BAND
WHICH THEY WILL HAVE ON OCCASSION.    WE DINED TO RECORDED MUSIC
TODAY.
ON THE 3RD AND 4TH FLOORS, ARE 4 BED AND BREAKFAST ROOMS OFF
OF THE LOBBY ABOVE.
ONE AREA STILL NEEDS TO BE BUILDT!    A DECK ADJACENT TO THE DINING
ROOM AND OVERLOOKING THE MILL CREEK FOR SUMMERTIME OUTDOOR
DINING.

BELLEVUE IS MORE AND MORE BECOMING A "DESTINATION" PLACE FOR
THE TRI-STATE AREA, WITH SEVERAL FINE RESTAURANTS,  A NEW HOTEL
AND CONVENTION CENTER AND OF COURSE THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI
RIVER, ONE OF THE BEST RIVERS IN THE WORLD.

GRANDPA'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR  TOO...WHERE I OFTEN STOP FOR
GREAT ICE CREAM OF COURSE AND TO CHAT WITH THE OWNER ERIC, BELLEVUE'S #1 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS FAN.

CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES TO RACHEL AND MARK!

DENNIS VOY
kmaq@kmaq.com