Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Have a Good Thyme at Art on the Rocks

For more than 40 years, Dixon Gallery and Gardens has been a mecca for art, showcasing horticulture and visual arts with lush botanical gardens and a gallery that displays a range of classic and contemporary arts.

Now, the museum fuses the arts of herbology and mixology at its second annual Art on the Rocks tasting event, featuring cocktails inspired by herbs from their gardens. Basil, sage, thyme, and lavender are just a few of the herbs that will be used as ingredients in uniquely crafted cocktails mixed by A Catered Affair.

Dixon Gallery and Gardens

“My favorite one is a play on a spicy lemon cocktail. It has Fever Tree ginger beer, jalapeño juice, mint, and vodka,” says Kristen Rambo, digital communications associate at Dixon Gallery and Gardens. “Another drink, which is kind of on-trend right now, uses Truly hard seltzer with lime juice, ginger, rum, and rosemary.”

Other signature drinks served will include frozé (a frozen rosé slushie) and Have a Good Thyme, an Old Dominick vodka drink with fresh thyme, ginger beer, Aperol, and lime juice.

Art on the Rocks, which evolved from the former beer tasting event Art on Tap, will also offer craft beers and mocktails; and several local restaurants, including Amerigo, Cheffie’s Café, and Grecian Gourmet, will be present offering food samples. The PRVLG and Josh Threlkeld will provide musical entertainment.

Art on the Rocks is the first of a series of events hosted by the Dixon this season.

“Art on the Rocks is kind of a kick-off event for us in the fall,” Rambo says. “And as we move into October, we’ll get more into the food tastings like with our Art on Fire event.”

Art on the Rocks, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Friday, September 6th, 6-9 p.m., $40 for members, $50 for non-members and day-of tickets.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Amerigo’s Cheese Fritters

Who doesn’t love cheese? Better yet, who doesn’t love fried cheese? As a child, mozzarella sticks were one of my favorite things to eat. Now, let me happily introduce to you an adult version of one of your childhood favorites, the cheese fritters at Amerigo Italian Restaurant. You can do a small order of four ($7) or a full order of six fritters ($9).

There’s a reason why this appetizer was featured in Bon Appétit. The cheese fritters are fried to perfection. With the first bite, you get the crunch of the crispy exterior and a bunch of cheesy flavors. That’s because there’s four different types of cheese inside: Cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan, and Mozzarella. The fritters are also gooey and the cheese stretches just the way you want a cheese stick to. They’re nicely melted! This is a heavy dish that’s rich in taste. Split them with a friend!

The cheese fritters come with marinara sauce and honey mustard. The marinara sauce makes for great dipping, but the honey mustard is the star — so sweet and smoky. I made sure that not one bit of it was left on the plate!

These cheese fritters are cheese sticks on drugs. Good drugs!