Thursday, July 25th, 2019
Greetings from Carrboro,

You know you’re in the right place if your menu doubles as a placemat. With an artistic rendering of a shrimp boat in front of a sunset. And if they call the bill your “ticket.” As in, “Here’s your ticket, honey. You can pay Joanne up front by the window.” It’s also a good sign if they only take cash. And doubly so if they have a gift shop. You know – hermit crabs and Mexican jumping beans. Personalized key chains and coffee mugs. Driftwood art. Somewhere I’ve got a cowrie shell with the Lord’s Prayer engraved in a rather unabashedly flamboyant script circa 1975. Obviously, I caught my mother at a weak moment standing in line to pay. The religion angle always was her achilles heel.

But it also could have been the hushpuppy coma that put her on her heels. Or the fried shrimp. Or the deviled crab. Or those strips of crispy-fried flounder that you can dip into ketchup just like french fries. As a family, we drank Coke at home, but at the beach it was always Pepsi in red, translucent plastic cups. This was August at the beach. And this was Calabash. Riding back to Ocean Isle in the back of my Mom’s Dodge station wagon, I couldn’t imagine a better meal. Ever.

So it makes sense that this time of year I get a lemming-like hankering. And my cliff is Calabash. But without the sand or sunburn. Just the whole-hearted deliciousness. And it would be so wrong for me not to share. You could even say criminal. That’s why I’m inviting you. Calabash Night at Acme – a staycation if ever there was one. Monday, August 5th. All night long (or until we run out), we will be serving platters of that fried fantasy of my youth. But Acme-fied. NC Shrimp and flounder, deviled crab, fried oysters, hushpuppies, cole saw, corn on the cob, and watermelon just for good measure. Wow. Just add a tomato plate and you won’t miss the beach at all. Don’t worry, we will have our regular menu as well. Ye ol’ landlubbers are always welcome.

This weekend @ Acme: Line-caught NC tuna. Acme tomato plate. Chili relleno with scallops. Frogmore stew. Ballpark corn ribs. Wedge salad. Bone-in ribeyes with summer chanterelle butter. Watermelon sangria. Peach cobbler. Pecan-crusted fried chicken. Southern tomato pie. Fried okra & shishito peppers. BLT bento box. Blackened salmon. Blueberry pie. Acme smash burger. Oyster po’boy sliders. Forever roasted pig. Summertime risotto. Blackberry margaritas. And, yes, the perfect patio weather is on us.

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

Cheers,
The Staff at Acme

Reservations: 919 929 2263 or online