Greetings from Carrboro,

It took a day. Really, it took a night. Mom handed out popsicles before we went to bed and then instructed us to “be still.” This was the extent of her sage advice for how to persevere that first night at the beach. I lay on top of the covers and listened to the distant waves. A swarm of June bugs thrummed outside, incessantly trying to get through the window screen. And as if by magic, the following morning I awoke completely adjusted to the warm beach air.

As far as I knew, not a single house at Ocean Isle had air conditioning. The one that we rented didn’t have a TV and we hand washed clothes and towels that were then hung out to dry on a clothesline underneath the house. In the morning, farmers would drive slowly down the narrow road, gently beeping the horn of their truck so people would step out of their house and flag them down to buy corn and tomatoes, watermelon and peaches. And in the afternoon, there’d be ice cream trucks that followed suit.

No doubt, summer trips to the coast are very different now. I don’t remember us ever even having a beach umbrella – muchless a Shibumi. But the basic notion of a beach week hasn’t changed. It’s always been some kind of sun-bleached encapsulation of summertime, some kind of carefree respite before September intervenes and lashes us more firmly to the pillars of school and work. And it’s always, always delicious.

So while we can’t whisk all of you to the beach for a week, we can do our best to bring the beach to you. Acme’s 11th Annual Beach Week – August 8th – 12th. It’s a Calabash staycation and then some. Shrimp and flounder, scallops and tuna, crab and black drum, hushpuppies and watermelon and corn-on-the-cob. There will be piña coladas and watermelon margaritas, cold wine and colder beers. You really can’t go wrong. While our staff won’t be wearing flip-flops or Hawaiian shirts, you certainly can. And, not to worry, the air-conditioning will certainly be on.

And our $10 brunch deal continues through the summer – four entrées every Sunday are only $10. Sometimes a coffee costs that much. Waffles, eggs benedict, hot biscuits & gravy. Sundays are just better here.

This weekend @ Acme: Classic tuna Niçoiuse, Grilled cowboy steaks. Southern tomato pie. Pecan-crusted fried chicken. Peach & blueberry cobbler a la mode. Acme tomato plate. Martha’s chile relleno. Seared pork tenderloin with overnight tomato & bacon jam. Acme smash burgers. Perfect gazpacho. Scallop crudo. Flash-fried flounder. Southern squash casserole. Three-bean salad. Forever roasted pig. Key lime pie. Ice-cold martinis. Acme corn ribs. Why would you want to cook?

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

Cheers,
The Staff at Acme