March 31st, 2026

 

Greetings from Carrboro,

My mother was claustrophobic. Not clinically, but serious enough that she could only handle going up five floors on an elevator at a time. And I always assumed that her proclivity to spend all of her free time outside was similarly rooted in that profound aversion to feeling confined in any way. So our family’s weekend projects were inevitably outdoors. Gardens. Yardwork. Washing cars. Even if we went indoors for lunch, she’d eat standing at the kitchen sink looking out the window.

So when Acme opened, it was my mom who initiated the patio. That first spring, she’d disappear in her car and return with plants and pots and soil. I broke three pick-axe shafts digging the first attempt at a garden. The only thing left from that effort is a horseshoe that we found that is still propped above the backdoor that leads to the patio. Ever since, there has been endless debate over how to display the lucky horseshoe – either to capture the luck or let it pour down upon us. So I just switch it every year so we don’t miss out on the luck completely.

At some point early on she bought a snowball viburnum to plant. I remember that it was summer and I gave the plant little chance to survive; there was no shade, relentless heat, and terrible soil. I dug a hole, stuck it in, and prayed it would make it to October. And it did. Miraculously. The miracle was that the plant happened to be on the opposite side of the fence from our cooler. Because during the heat of summer, the condensation from the cooler provided enough water for the plant to thrive.

And the viburnum is still there, 25 years later. It’s twenty feet tall now and in full bloom. I always think that patio season doesn’t truly begin until that viburnum blooms, some Acme version of Punxsutawney Phil proclaiming the end of winter but in, well, shrub form. So, yes, the Acme patio is open for both dinner and brunch, reservations and walk-ins. I’m pretty sure that my mother would be very happy with how far the patio has come in 28 years. Dinner outside in spring? You really can’t go wrong.

Reservations are now available for Mother’s Day and Graduation Weekend. May 8th – 10th.

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

Cheers,

The Staff at Acme