Greetings from Carrboro,
It must have been 1974. Maybe even 1973. My brother got a job at the Ponderosa Steakhouse on South Blvd in Charlotte. He was in high school. It was a cafeteria-style set up where you’d pick your steak and then it would be cooked and brought to your table. There may have been a salad bar. I definitely remember a very fetching cowboy-esque uniform and knowing that my brother was the grill guy. We’d wave to him as we moved through the line.
The thought that the signature dish of the entire restaurant was cooked by a 16-year-old is a little insane. The fact that it was my brother even more so; it wasn’t as if he’d grown up at the knee of a master. My father spent a fair number of the Saturdays of my youth completely ruining perfectly good beef. Clearly, medium-rare was always more a concept than reality. On a few occasions, I had to fetch cups of water from our swimming pool to douse steaks that were robustly en fuego. Dad always blamed the grill.
Regardless, my brother did come home from work with lots of good stories. People and their quirks around food are always entertaining. The one that captured my imagination was a guy who came in every week and ordered a steak raw. And cold. According to my brother, the man would sit by himself and pray loudly before taking a single bite. And then he’d eat the entire meal with his hands. Even the baked potato. With the limited references of youth, I always pictured the man as a very religious Fred Flintstone.
And while I think it’s probably illegal to sell a raw steak in 2024, I do like the idea of everyone having the steak experience that you really want. So to that end, we’re offering the Acme Steak Choose-a-palooza where we let you be you. Pick your steak. Pick your sides. Pick your sauce. And we do the rest. Kinda perfect. This week we have filets, NY strips, and 16oz bone-in ribeyes. You can even add a seared filet to our summer tomato plate. Because, well, why not? Summertime is calling.
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
