Greetings from Carrboro,

The food world is littered with absolutes and secrets, often arcane familial shibboleths that we swallow hook, line, and sinker. And ever since the advent of the internet there have been thousands of pages written attempting to debunk those myths with only slightly fewer written defending them. It seems that we’re all a bit addicted to unraveling the mystery of why dinner just tasted better at grandma’s table or on a vacation in Italy or alone, leaning over the kitchen sink peering out at the backyard. And, ultimately, about how we might duplicate those delicious meals.

I have a feeling that my deceased grandfather would get a kick out of the fact that there is a recipe attempting to scientifically capture how to make the perfect biscuit in a $600 cookbook. And that to assemble the perfect biscuit he would need to grate and freeze the butter and measure the flour precisely in grams. It would have amused him to no end. Because he certainly understood better than most that – sometimes – the magic is really in the memories.

Sometimes.

Because there is one bit of food mumbo-jumbo that I do believe; food just tastes better when I eat outside. With the obvious caveat that mother nature must agree to play her all-important part. And that I’m not bombarded with incessant noise or flashing lights. Maybe it’s because I’m more relaxed. Or, sure, that I have so many great memories of dining al fresco over so many years. Or because I spend so much time in a brightly lit, window-less kitchen. Who knows. Regardless, it’s certainly why I built the patio at Acme. To escape. On these beautiful spring days, I can sit by the fountain with some ad hoc lunch and the whole workaday world disappears. It’s splendid.

So, if my weather app can be trusted, it looks as if we’ve officially moved wholeheartedly into patio season at the restaurant. Can I get a hallelujah? To be sure, the fish in the fountain are happy for the warmer weather. And the grand task of spring cleaning is all said and done. So join us. It’s absolutely no secret that dinner is just better here.

This weekend @ Acme: Pan-seared big-eye tuna. Grilled ribeye steak. Acme wedge salad. Shooting Point oysters on the half-shell. Mississippi-style tamales. Angel biscuits. Crab cakes. Lamb Country Captain. Lemon pudding cake. Sea scallops. Mango margaritas. Acme smashburgers. Monkfish étouffée. Key lime tart. Beef short rib stroganoff. Pecan-crusted fried chicken. Southern Tomato Pie. Gumbo. Ice-cold martinis. Grilled Caesar salad. Acme cornbread. The beautiful weather is on the house.

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

Cheers,
The Staff at Acme