What to Order: Amelia Gene’s tasting menu — whatever is on it

Jennifer Chandler | Daily Memphian

A crunchy taco supreme isn’t a dish I would expect to eat at Amelia Gene’s, a fine-dining restaurant Downtown. 

But I have to tell you, it was one of my favorite bites at a recent Thursday night dinner there. 

It’s no surprise that Amelia Gene’s rendition of the crunchy taco supreme — a Taco Bell classic — was far superior to what you’d find at a fast-food joint.

The taco was stuffed with Wagyu beef bavette, a cut of beef known for its rich flavor and marbling.

Each bite was an explosion of flavors and textures, thanks to the contrast of the tender, perfectly cooked beef and the crunch of the taco shell.

“Who doesn’t love a taco supreme?” chef Nate Henssler said when I asked about the inspiration for the dish.

“My sous chef, Jonathan Lazo, and I had been experimenting with masa and came up with the idea of making it to order because we loved how it tasted,” he said. “Plus, tacos and margaritas are one of our favorite things to eat in the summertime, especially with the heat.”

I would say order this dish the next time you go, but sadly, you can’t. It was part of Amelia Gene’s weekly tasting menu.

But I can guarantee you will taste an unexpected dish that will knock your socks off if you go on a Thursday night for the tasting menu. 

Many times, a tasting menu is a collection of a restaurant’s specialties. It’s a wonderful way to sample the best of what the restaurant has to offer.

But other times — this is when I really get excited about a tasting menu — these curated collections of dishes allow a chef to really show off their chops.

It’s a chance for a chef to cook what they want, highlighting dishes, ingredients and complicated cooking techniques that might not necessarily work for the restaurant’s regular menu.

At Amelia Gene’s, Henssler features a five-course tasting menu every Thursday. Priced at $65 per person, Henssler said it is an approachable open door to new diners, while also offering something different for his loyal clientele.

“As a chef, while we always evolve our menu seasonally, I love the creative challenge in the kitchen as we develop Thursday menus and super intentional wine and cocktail pairings,” Henssler said. 

The menu changes every few weeks.

Henssler said there’s no script for the creative process behind these five-course experiences, a process that has made each one such a joy to compose and share with his guests.

The menu I enjoyed last month was a collection of Latin-influenced dishes paired with a margarita tasting.

“Honestly, this one was derived from our favorite things to eat when it’s very hot in the summer, but with luxurious ingredients and some unexpected flavor combinations,” Henssler said. “For example, we made our tamale with root beer leaf, stuffed it with a Pennsylvania golden chicken and topped it with multiple from-scratch salsas.”

The menu also included a play on the Mexican street food, elote, with charred sweet corn, shishito peppers and sheep’s milk cheese, as well as an arroz con leche dessert with fresh mango and white chocolate.

The tasting offerings span a range of themes.

Last summer, for example, Julia Child’s birthday brought Henssler back to his earliest childhood memories of watching her on TV and being inspired to become a chef. In her honor, he crafted a menu rooted in her most renowned techniques and recipes.

“Whether it’s traveling to a new destination, like Japan, or meeting a local purveyor like Jones Orchard, I love building a menu that feels familiar yet finer, pushing the boundaries but still feeling uniquely Amelia Gene’s,” he said.

For October, Henssler has partnered with Bain Barbecue owners Heather and Bryant Bain on a Texas barbecue-inspired tasting menu.

“We are big fans of each other’s concepts and have become friends as a result,” Henssler said. “We have developed some dishes together that we think Memphis will love.”

Amelia Gene’s, located at 255 S. Front St., offers its tasting menu on Thursdays only. For upcoming menus and to reserve this special dining experience, visit ameliagenes.com.