Greetings from Carrboro,
I drew outlines of my hand that magically morphed into a turkey. And there was a whole thing about construction paper and fashioning Native American headgear and Puritan hats. That was big. My memory was that the Native Americans always were drawn wearing ragged shorts and living in teepees and that the all-important pilgrims had polished buckles on their black shoes. No teacher lingered over the awkward depiction of these Native Americans as part of a Western tribe (think Navajo) or that all the pilgrims looked remarkably like Ben Franklin.
Clearly, Thanksgiving had nothing to do with historical accuracy; it was all about the food. Duh. I fancied the historical feast as some odd cross-cultural potluck that clearly resembled the one we had at church. Except with a peace pipe. And without spaghetti casserole. I had no idea which of the cultural halves brought the congealed salad that fateful day, but roundly believed it was a bad idea. The pecan pie, on the other hand, was a keeper.
For years I assumed every family ate the same traditional meal. Right up until a neighbor had a luau themed Thanksgiving. All the neighborhood kids were enthralled. It was ultimately highlighted by the two hams on a spit festively catching fire to much parental tumult. After several tossed tiki drinks failed to quell the flames, the hams were doused by a garden hose with the Miracle-Gro sprayer still attached. They were the first family that I ever knew who had a vegetarian Thanksgiving. Albeit a rather late and completely unplanned vegetarian Thanksgiving. But definitely vegetarian.
At the restaurant, we stick to tradition – our Acme tradition – 16 years and running. No luau and no congealed salad. Promise. We deep-fry turkeys and slow cook beans. We roast sweet potatoes and bake no end of pies. There’s mashed potatoes and gravy, collard greens, sage and turkey dressing, and cranberry-ginger relish. A southern Thanksgiving is what we call it. There are also choices for everyone who wants something other than Turkey – salmon and steak and vegetarian risotto. Plus the added bonus of no shopping and no dishes. It’s kind of perfect.
Thanksgiving at Acme. Thursday, November 26th. Noon until 8:30 in the evening. Reservations are only available by phone – 919 929 2263. We also require a credit card number to hold your table. The price is $35 per person for the three-course meal. Menu is below. It’s always one of the most popular events of the year. For a reason. I hope you can join us.
Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.
Cheers,
The Staff at Acme
Acme Thanksgiving Menu
November 26th
First Course
Curried Mountain Apple Soup
Pomegranates, Crème Fraiche, Boiled Peanuts
Acme Field Green Salad
Crumbled Blue Cheese, Black-Eyed Peas, Cider Vinaigrette
Main Course
Low Country Deep Fried Local Turkey
with Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Wild Mushroom and Country Ham Gravy, Sage and Rosemary Dressing, Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Collard Greens, Slow Cooked Green Beans, and Housemade Cranberry-Ginger Compote
Pan-seared Wild Salmon
Green Tomato Relish, Two Hour Cheese Grits,
Black Beans
Grilled Tenderloin of Beef
Chanterelle Gastrique, Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus
Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Risotto
Aged Asiago & Parmesan Cheeses, Butternut Squash, Swiss Chard, Grilled Sweet Onions
Dessert
Classic Pumpkin Pie
Fresh Whipped Cream
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Fresh Whipped Cream
Autumn Apple Cobbler
Caramel Sauce, Fresh Whipped Cream
Acme Chocolate Terrine
Coffee & Bourbon Sauce
