Greetings from Carrboro,

There’s a rich, though often lamentable, history of culinary telephone that exists. You know, that classic 2nd grade pastime when, say, “antelope” is whispered into a child’s ear at the front of a line and magically morphs into “bath soap” by the end. But, rather than taking a minute or less, the culinary version requires years, generations even, to produce the garbled result.

Take barbecue chicken. By the time it got to me, barbecue chicken had been fully suburbanized for the 70’s family. Plain chicken legs were baked in the oven, then slathered in – let’s be honest – essentially sweetened, peppery ketchup, and finally broiled until the sauce on the legs bubbled. Voila. Mediocrity at its finest. Pass the Rice-a-Roni.

It’s hard for me to believe, but I was in my 20’s before I had the OG version. It was slow-cooked outside over smokey coals, and liberally brushed with a vinegar-y sauce every 15 minutes or so by a guy drinking a Natural Light. I remember that first bite so clearly. The skin was crispy, the meat not dry in the least. I was standing in a field, my wilting paper plate in hand, struggling to imagine anything more delicious.

It would be easy to blame the Wednesday newspaper shortcuts or the never-ending quest for dinner simplicity that brought us Hamburger Helper and Doordash. Too often, the pursuit of convenience simply and sadly outweighs the slower road to pleasure. Whatever the cause, the clear result of this line of culinary telephone was that barbecue chicken, lost in translation, morphed into something to forget – a Tuesday night dinner before Happy Days and nothing more.

Well, Acme is here to fix that. On Labor Day, September 6^th, we’ll have an honest-to-goodness BBQ chicken feast for your takeout pleasure. So why not let us provide the “labor” on your Labor Day? And put something delicious on your table while we’re at it. Pick-up will be between 11am and 12pm at the restaurant. Menu is below. Order yours here before they’re gone. As they say, the early bird gets the bird.

 

Acme Labor Day To-Go Feast

Serves 2, $45

Smoked Carolina BBQ Chicken

BBQ sauce

Acme Potato Salad

Cheesy Mexican Street Corn (off the cob)

Buttery dinner rolls

Cherry pie

 

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

Cheers,
The Staff at Acme