Greetings from Carrboro,

I never even considered that my mother’s stuffed peppers had an inspiration. They seemed steeped in a particular culinary sorrow that adults seemed inured to. It was dinner’s equivalent of going to church and sitting next to your grandmother. With a tie on. Huge green peppers martialed into a casserole dish with their tops cut off and dutifully crammed with a hodgepodge of meat, vegetables, and rice. At least my parents were fortunate enough to have martinis to blunt the gastronomic blow. I was left with water or tea. And karma. Damn you, Woman’s Day magazine.

But the idea of stuffing peppers didn’t grow out of a manual for child torture. Far from it. Stuffed peppers have history. They have heart and soul. And so a few years ago I went back to the source to see where my mom went wrong. And I fell in love. Hello, chili relleno. We are so glad you’re back in town. For those of you new to Carrboro, August’s heartthrob is here.

As a form of therapy to erase that tragic childhood memory, Acme serves the drool-worthy real McCoy. Chilis from the farmers’ market roasted, deseeded, and peeled, then stuffed and fried in a cloud of egg whites. We add molé and grilled peach salsa for good measure. And can I just say…these babies are righteous. You’re going to want to eat three or four. And I wouldn’t blame you. But we only have them for so long. If you miss them, you’ll only have yourself to blame.

This weekend @ Acme: The Acme Tomato Plate. Steamed Virginia Clams. Pan-seared Lane snapper. Pecan-crusted fried chicken. Charred eggplant soup. Summertime risotto. Gumbo. Chili Relleno. Grilled Angus steaks. Peach cobbler with blackberry ice cream. Watermelon sangria. Acme cornbread. Southern tomato pie. Wedge salad. Rosé all day. Cherry pie. Blackened salmon. At Acme, we don’t play games.

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