Greetings from Carrboro,
It’s bred in the bone. We all yearn to be the best. Or to have the best. If just by association. There are entire magazines and websites devoted to such things – must-read top 10 lists of the best toothbrushes for left-handed women of Italian descent. And even this week, whole countries will sit on the edge of their collective seats, heart in their hands, hoping that their beloved homeland will be crowned number ONE, World Cup champs.
But sometimes we miss it, even when it’s right in front of our nose. And I’d challenge anyone, anywhere who thought that they had any better tomatoes than we have right now. Their’s might be better in August or June or September, but come July, we stand atop the tomato universe. No question. It’s the right place and the right time and the absolute right farmers. Our bodacious bounty should make us blush. But at Acme we’d rather make something delicious; modesty just isn’t our thing. Lucky you.
The 17th Annual Acme Tomato Festival. Officially July 12th – 15th, this Thursday thru Sunday. But we’re going to start a day early, Wednesday the 11th, with a second tomato-licious wine dinner with the NC Tomatoman, Craig LeHoullier. The first dinner sold out so quickly that we felt it was our singular duty. I mean, you can’t have too much of a good thing. And to be brutally honest, that dinner tomorrow night is nearly sold out as well. But there are seats still available. Something like 15. And we’d love to have you join us. The 5-course dinner is $65 per person. Reservations are required by phone (919-929-2263). Menu is below. Hump Day really doesn’t get any better than this.
This is always one of the best weekends of the year at the restaurant. Every single thing on the menu will feature tomatoes. And I mean everything. We’ll even have tomato desserts. And tomato martinis. We don’t call it a tomato festival for nothing. By the time we’re done Sunday night, the kitchen will go through nearly 1000 lbs of those locally grown beauties. And yes, half a ton of tomatoes is a lot of tomatoes. Believe me. At least a dozen different varieties prepared a dozen different ways. Think of it as summertime squared. If you want the very best, don’t miss it. You can’t say that you weren’t warned.
Well, that’s all the news from Tomatoville. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.
Cheers,
The Stafff at Acme
Reservations: 919-929-2263 or online
The Acme Tomato Festival Wine Dinner
1st
oven dried blush & yellow roma tomatoes
Chapel Hill Creamery Pheta, Georgia olive oil, pickled shrimp
Cava Avinyo Rosado
2nd
Southern tomato pie
2017 Chateau Thivin Beaujolais Rosé
3rd
pan-seared yellowfin tuna
tomato chutney, coconut sticky rice
2016 Chehalem Winery Grüner Veltliner
4th
grilled beef tenderloin
smoked tomato jam, corn pudding
2015 COS Nero d’Avola “Nero di Lupo”
5th
heirloom tomato spice cake
basil & cream cheese icing
El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximénez
