People do crazy things. Period. And often for apparently no clear-eyed reason. Swimming the English Channel. Free climbing El Capitan. Running a 135 mile road race through Death Valley. There is no question that in each of the above tableaus I can easily forecast my death to be both rather quick and equally brutal. Eaten, splattered, cooked. In that order. So, no, not on my bucket list. Definitely not my kind of crazy.
There are culinary forays into crazy-ville that are slightly more palatable. YouTube is awash in the myriad ways people transform food into an extreme sport. A cake that looks just like a bag of Doritos and sushi chefs serving a blowfish that is deadly if filleted incorrectly. The rationale for these food feats is still rather questionable – but at least each can be done indoors.
In restaurants, the things that truly amaze me really aren’t all that flashy. Honestly, they’re mostly the things that no patron ever sees; crazy in how they go unnoticed. The guy who’s peeled some 600 lbs. of potatoes at New York’s Balthazar every single day for the past 20+ years. The person in the food truck on Jones Ferry Road who hands you a taco at midnight in the rain, smiling even though they have 3 hours of serious cleaning in front of them. And at Acme, I’m struck by that same kind of awe every year when pepper season arrives. I always feel pretty guilty when I ask her to make them. But then I always do. How could I not? You see, if the mantra ‘good things take time’ ever needed a mascot, I know what would get my vote.
Witnessing Martha, our pastry chef, spend hour after hour preparing the bull’s horn chiles for her chile rellenos is something to behold. Day after day. The roasting and cooling and peeling and de-seeding. The stuffing and sealing and coating and frying. The absolute patience and sheer amount of time. It’s mind-blowing. And, yes, that is my kind of crazy. Each and every chile relleno that she prepares is a delicious gift on a plate. Nothing less. Lucky for us, it’s late August and chili season is here. Luckier still, Martha’s chile rellenos will be on the menu every night until we run out. If I were you, I’d definitely put that on your bucket list. El Capitan isn’t going anywhere.
And Sunday, August 21st, Acme is having another pop-up brunch on our patio. 11am – 1pm. Dine in or takeout. And first come, first served. Menu is below. But don’t be surprised if there are a few bonus goodies offered. We’ll have Bloody Marys and mimosas and coffee to cover the beverage side of things. The best part? The nap afterwards is on us. You’re welcome. Acme knows how to make Sundays better; we’re good that way.
Lest you forget, tonight is the Acme Almost Friday $15. Every entree, every Thursday is $15. Or, well, you could spend that money taking an Uber half-way to Durham because that’s fun. Completely your call.
Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.
Cheers,
The Staff at Acme
The Bodacious Biscuit Brunch – Take 2
Sunday, August 21st
11am – 1pm
The Regular
bacon, egg, cheese
The Fancy Regular
housemade pork sausage, egg, cheese
The Wake-up Call
spicy fried chicken, Steen’s cane syrup
The Country Girl
fried green tomato, pimento cheese
The Mountain Man
country ham, fried egg, pepper jelly
The River Guide
smoked salmon patty, scallion cream cheese
Sides:
Acme cheese grits
Twice fried potatoes
