Amelia Gene’s — Restaurant in Memphis

We were traveling from out of town and picked this restaurant based on google maps reviews, which can often be unreliable. Not this time; if anything, they underrate this terrific venue. The space is beautiful--a tastefully redone trolley car depot with just enough of the industrial feel preserved to give it character.

The location is conveniently near Beale Street without being engulfed in the madness. Service is spot on: exquisitely professional and knowledgeable without being the least bit snooty. And the food--well, it's some of the most interesting and delicious you'll find anywhere in the country, including at Michelin star restaurants on either coast. The menu is ambitious--with heavy Southern influences mixed with several Asian touches (the monkfish is undeniably Thai, and you'll find dishes that incorporate Korean kalbi and other Asian flavors) as well as a strong Italian streak (ravioli with guancale, truffle risotto). In less capable hands it would be an incoherent mess, but chef Nate Hennsler somehow manages to pull it all together into a wonderful smorgasbord of choices. The cheese cart is excellently curated, with 16 [!!!!] interesting selections to choose from, including goat, sheep and cow's milk options, washed rind cheeses, young soft options and hard, heavily aged choices. The only ho-hum pick was a Point Reyes blue (which in many restaurants would be the best option). Courses are fun and tasty with two levels of appetizers ("proper bites" which are a mouthful or two and "starters" which are a couple more) and span the gamut from a couple of thoughtfully dressed raw oysters to a hearty bowl of corn chowder or a couple of hefty fried squash blossoms. The pasta courses are modest but rich (one of my guests pronounced herself "stuffed" after finishing the risotto, which looked rather small on the plate but was apparently quite filling), but the dinner courses are enormous. My duck dish was fully half of a large, meaty bird.

The execution in the kitchen and presentation were perfect. To cite my duck, again, the skin was beautifully crisp, while the thick, meaty chunks of breast were exactly the right shade of pink and both tender and moist. It was finished with a combination of a delicious pan sauce and a vibrant citrus kumquat puree, and plated with a handful of perfectly roasted veggies and a whole roasted kumquat. This is a dish that could have gone wrong in many ways--but chef Nate and his team got it exactly right, along with the 10 other dishes that we ordered that featured vastly different flavor profiles, ingredients and preparation techniques. Every single one was beautifully balanced, immaculately plated and, most importantly, delicious.

The wine list is deep, though it leans to domestic offerings, and the markup is very modest, especially for a restaurant of this caliber. There are a wide variety of options by the glass.

If you make it to dessert with room left, the choices are inviting. We were sorely tempted by the peach cinnamon roll, but opted instead to split a root beer float (also just terrific). Three of us walked away with leftovers for just over $300--or right at $400 after leaving our server a generous but well-earned tip.

I think the only serious criticism I can offer of the place is that it has a television over the bar which is (just barely) visible from the dining room. Ordinarily, that's a sure sign of a mediocre restaurant, and I urge Amelia Gene's to either get rid of the thing or at least move it, but in light of the venue's overall excellence, perhaps I can forgive this one sin.

It's hard to overstate what a nice surprise Amelia Gene's was. Definitely a place to stop if you find yourself in Memphis and even worth a road trip for a special dinner.

Update: the following night our reservation at another venue was canceled without warning due to a power outage, so we decided to try AG a second time. Owner/manager Jessica recognized us by name at the door and squeezed us in despite a busy reservation list. Such...

Interesting night at Amelia Gene’s!

Such a beautiful and intriguing building in the heart of downtown. It’s in a perfect location near hotels and the Orpheum and not too far from the FedEx Forum. Inside, the space is large and elegant and gorgeous. It feels like a place to get engaged or celebrate very special occasions.

Upon entry, I was greeted right away by the hostess. She asked about the reservation and she directed me to my party sitting at the bar. This is where the interesting service began.

The bartender was very direct. No small talk. Just do you want a drink? What? We stared at each other for a long moment before I realized I had no cocktail menu. I don’t know how to explain it besides he was kind of barking at everyone for their orders and handing out checks like hot potatoes. It was a strange experience for the group. We kind of felt like we were being yelled at. The bartender was even like “give your coats your coat check!” I think he was trying to be helpful but it all felt like he was giving us marching orders.

The other interesting part of the night happened when we were led to our table of six for a confirmed reservation of 7. Our seventh wasn’t there yet. At that time we learned that a reservation of 7 was not allowed. The biggest group was 6. Then how did the reservation get confirmed? Why didn’t the restaurant call back when the reservation holder called to double check for a reservation of 7? The group spent a good 15 minutes going back and forth with the waitress as she tried to see if they could make any accommodations. It really threw off the whole vibe of the night as we had all wanted to sit together (girls’ night).

Ultimately, we split up the group. I understand that there was no table for seven but that could have been communicated at any point before we sat down. Also, I was disappointed no one from the management staff came over to talk to us and apologize for the misunderstanding. They made the waitress do all the dirty work and then she was flustered having to take care of two tables now. It was unprofessional for such a high end establishment.

Amelia Gene’s is a high end restaurant with a menu to match. Not everyone has had a lot of fine dining experiences in their life, which is fine. Therefore, the waiter should be prepared to really explain and guide the diners through the menu. Our waitress didn’t handle that part well. I understand she was flustered and as the night went on she was getting more and more frazzled. At one point, someone asked her what a leek was and said “I don’t know.” Ma’am, just say it’s a vegetable. You know what a leek is. It would have helped if you took us through the menu from the top. The lobbyist did an excellent job of this and made our dining experience much smoother in terms of what to expect. She also didn’t even ask about dessert, just threw out checks.

In terms of food, it was fine. I didn’t /love/ anything. The clam chowder was good. I like the deconstructed nature of it and the bread. The lamb parts was a bit too bitter and chewy to me. The crème brûlée was also a little bitter but the whipped cream saved it. That part was magical. I liked the shadow woman drink a lot and the mango tequila Memphis drink was okay.

All in all, it was an experience. I think I would like to go back one day and try one of the steak options. However, I’m in no...

This was my first visit to Amelia Gene’s Restaurant in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It was a fabulous find that I came across on OpenTable.

The atmosphere and aesthetic was charming and warm and outfitted in an old manufacturing plant. They did a fabulous job of integrating the restaurant into the historical space.

My server, Makyla, was very knowledgeable about the menu and had a thorough knowledge of the menu. She was warm yet professional. She made me feel relaxed and comfortable. She didn’t miss a beat through the entire dinner. Samantha, the sommelier extraordinaire, spoke to me about some of their wine offerings. She was very knowledgeable about wines and pairings. When it came time for dessert, I inquired as to whether or not they had any Hungarian wines. She said she did not think so, but ended up finding the last glass of Royal Tokaji, Late Harvest Hungarian Wine.

My dinner began withn Amuse-bouche, chefs gift, a root vegetable soup that was intensely flavorful.

I started with an unusual preparation of raw Blackberry Oysters (2), with Cauliflower Soubise, Pickled Cucumber, Bay Leaf. Available year-round, the Blackberry® is raised in bottom cages inshore of Blackberry Hang Oyster Reef in the Chesapeake Bay.

Black Sea Bass, White Onion Puree, Caramelized Onions, Brown Butter, with Petals of Brussels Sprouts

I enjoyed a glass of this fruit forward and delicious 2023 Domaine de Servans, Côtes du Rhône, Grenache/Syrah, Rhone Valley, France. It paired well with my oysters as well as the brown butter of the Black Sea Bass.

Moriah, the dessert elf, came by and did her best to tempt me with an amazing variety of dessert offerings that they had. I decided to stay with a liquid dessert as I had already eaten quite a bit.

I enjoyed the last glass they had available of a 2017 ROYAL TOKAJI Aszú 5 Puttonyos, Late Harvest Hungarian Wine. That was my drinkable dessert. I got to visit this region in Hungary five years ago and it is something I will never forget.

Intense nose with lots of fruitiness and spice. Great structure and vibrant freshness with flavours of white peach and ripe plums, a perfect balance of richness, crisp acidity and a long finish. Summer was hot, so we began the Aszú berry harvest in early September and continued to pick steadily in the ideal autumn weather. In particular, October provided three textbook weeks for fine quality Aszú, with day after day of early morning mists, afternoon sunshine and drying winds. The Aszú wines show great structure, plenty of botrytis, depth and freshness with excellent complexity, all attributes of long ageing potential.

My experience at Amelia Gene’s was above expectations. The food was delicious and artfully presented. The staff was professional and friendly. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing. The combination of everything made for an unforgettable dining experience that I would recommend to anyone visiting the Memphis area. My hat is off to the staff at Amelia Gene’s! #foodporn #gourmetfood #Memphis #finedining #travelblogger...