Greetings from Carrboro,
It never really fit. Calling it a tomato sandwich felt as wrong as calling Kilimanjaro a hill. Yes, the description generically doesn’t lead you astray; it’s by and large factual. But names need to resonate and specify. They tell us “this thing” and not “that thing” in a way that we can all agree. And calling it a southern or summer tomato sandwich is, yes, a tad better – but not much.
Then my friend, Lex, told me a story. Lex and I often talk about food. He, like me, hails from the Queen City and is a bit of a guru with all things delicious. We were talking about the hallowed tomato sandwich and how people mess it up with fancy bread and god-knows-what in a vain attempt to upgrade perfection or out of fear that someone would see them buying cheap white bread at the store.
That’s when he told me that growing up his father would come home from work during the summer to have a “sinker.” Lex saw that I was confused. “That’s what my father called tomato sandwiches – sinkers – because you have to lean over the sink to eat them.” And that was it. The perfect name for a tomato sandwich. I felt a piece of my life fall into place. The thing that started my infatuation with tomatoes finally had a proper name.
So, yes. It’s back. In all its juicy glory. The 23rd annual Acme Tomato Festival. July 11th – 14th. It’s Acme’s annual deep-fried, wide-eyed, rarified, belly-flop into the luscious heart of summer. Think of it as a holy-roller tent revival preaching the heavenly deliciousness of tomatoes to the unbaptized and the already-saved alike. But, you know, with air-conditioning. And a bar.
It’s a celebration of our amazing farmers and the fruits of their labor, a celebration of summer, and always one of the best weekends of the year. During the four days, the kitchen will go through hundreds of pounds of tomatoes. A lot. An awful lot. We’ll slice and dice, simmer and sauté, fry and oven-dry like there’s no tomorrow. We’ll wiggle them into nearly every dish on the menu. Even dessert. After 23 years, we’re pretty damn good at it.
This weekend @ Acme: Nearly perfect tuna Niçoise. Southern tomato pie. Acme smashburger. Watermelon salad. Pecan crusted fried chicken. Peach & blueberry cobbler. Summer succotash. Acme wedge salad. Scallop crudo. Shrimp, cheddar, & bacon hushpuppies. Angel biscuits. BLT bento box. Acme tomato plate. Crab cakes. Forever roasted pig. Summer squash casserole. Peel & eat NC shrimp. Flash-fried flounder. Acme Brussels’ sprouts. Honey Pie. Blackened salmon. Three bean salad. Watermelon margaritas. Acme cornbread. It’s hot outside; let us do the cooking.
Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.
Cheers,
The Staff at Acme
