Memphis, Tennessee: Traveling Gourmet
Jeff Heilman | Passport Magazine
In Memphis, the official home of the blues and birthplace of rock and roll, food goes hand in hand with feeding mind, body, and soul.
Barbecue, historic cornerstone of the city’s culture and identity, is gospel. Soul music and soul food are also bedrock. As sprawling as the city itself, the Memphis menu extends to dive bars, old school diners, newly minted Michelin restaurants, and international cuisine. Tuning into Memphis and its historic, hospitable food scene for the first time was a smash hit from start to finish.
At nearby Amelia Gene’s (255 Front St. Tel. 901-730-7650. ameliagenes.com), Executive Chef Nate Henssler has forged a bold new culinary identity for the historic William C. Ellis & Sons Ironworks and Machine Shop building. Opened in 1879 as a blacksmith shop, the former foundry notably fabricated Memphis’s first sewer system and manhole covers that are still in place today. Named for the owner’s daughter, the expansive rekindled space is classic industrial chic, featuring original machinery and sparkling crystal art that evokes furnace sparks falling from the ceiling.
Henssler, who previously led major kitchens in Phoenix, DC, Vegas, and Chicago, runs the broad open kitchen while his charming wife Jessica choreographs the attentive service as general manager. The couple routinely travel the globe in search of innovative ideas to fuse with the menu’s contemporary American baseline, producing enticing results such as my superb first plate, Gulf prawns bedded on spicy chili crisp.
The taste parade continued with Spanish octopus and grilled shishito peppers in a warm lemon emulsion. Next was bone marrow ravioli with brown butter and tangy tomato sauce, followed by Rohan duck breast with crispy skin flavored with orange.
Inspired by the couple’s visit to a Michelin starred restaurant in Greece, the cheese cart, featuring 18 domestic selections under glass, is a must. Memorable bites included blue cheese wrapped in fig leaves soaked in Tennessee whiskey, and the semi-soft Appalachian from Virginia, redolent with fungal earthiness.