9/7

Greetings from Carrboro,

I’d rather not remember certain things. At all. Restaurant stuff mostly. To that end, I’ve been working on a new and improved version of that history to give me a decidedly more heroic nature. With strong doses of common sense and grit. Something very John Wayne-ish.

But people keep getting in the way. And, well, the truth. Dammit.

Case in point: I saw a woman at Whole Foods with her two kids. Not just any woman. No sirree. This particular woman got married at the restaurant some time back. I had assured her it would be no problem for me to make the wedding cake. I mean, it’s a cake, right? Just tall. And the way I see it, she certainly should have told me up front that she wanted the thing to stand up by itself. And it didn’t actually fall. I did catch the thing. Personally, I think it’s fine to have some random guy in your wedding pictures, holding up the cake with his hands while you cut it. It’s just… different.

And then the Kangaroo station last Christmas. It’s late at night, and the guy behind the counter is losing it. His very festive Santa hat with twinkling lights is bopping back and forth as he flails. Somehow, he has wedged a Fireball into his right nostril and cannot get it out. It’s burning the bejeezus out of him, and he is blubbering uncontrollably. This makes the whole credit card/“how-much-is-this-muffin” thing quite difficult. Most especially because I am simultaneously trying to reassure myself that this is not the guy I hired to help run the kitchen a decade ago. No way. He never had a key to the restaurant or signed checks or anything like that. All those noble people went on to stellar culinary careers. Or are lawyers. I swear.

But, oh, how I do want to remember other things. Like Blair Taylor and his portfolio of spectacular Italian wine. So, on Monday, September 19^th, Acme is hosting a wine dinner with Blair, who’s kindly flying into town for the evening. It’s going to be great. Think of it as the Piedmont of Italy meeting the Piedmont of the Carolinas. Barolo and Barbaresco from two of Blair’s great producers. Veal Cheeks and Duck Confit from Acme. Five courses and six wines. $55 per person. Reservations are required by phone (919 929 2263). Menu is below. It’ll start at 6:30. And, to be sure, we’ll make sure that this is an evening that you’ll never forget, Pilgrim.

The Acme Wine Dinner

Welcome

Gagliarda “Fallegro” Favorita  2010

1st Course

Mountain Apple, Goat Cheese, Arugula, Olive Oil Poached Wild Salmon, Mint

Palladino Gavi di Gavi 2010

2nd Course

Crispy Local Pork Belly, Pumpkin Gnocchi, Sage & Brown Butter Sauce, Pomegranate

Palladino Barbera d’Alba 2008

3rd Course

Risotto with Duck Confit, Butternut Squash, Caramelized Shallots, Pear, Parmagiano Reggiano Prinsi “Gaia Principe” Barbaresco 2006

4^th Course

Smoked and Braised Veal Cheeks, Sweet Corn, Wild Mushrooms, Marrow Sauce

Palladino “Serralunga” Barolo 2006

Dessert

Chocolate Chess Pie, Sour Cherry Sauce, Crème Fraiche    Gagliardo “Villa M” Brachetto 2010

Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.

Cheers,

The Staff at Acme

Reservations online or 919 929 2263