Carving Room, Oded Weizmann's Morroccan-Jewish Deli at 3rd St and Massachusetts Ave NW near Mount Vernon Square

[Adam23]

Wife and I wanted to grab a quick lunch before the Hoyas/Cuse game so we though we would stop by Wiseguys. However as we walked by we say that the Carving Room was open (apparently for about 2 weeks now). We stopped in and decided to try it for lunch.

The menu is basically sandwiches with their in-house roasted meats, a couple salads and soups. The restaurant uses Lyon Bakery breads, so the breads are quite good. We ordered a salad to start and a cup of matzo ball soup. The salad was good, fresh, no real comments on it. The matzo ball soup was good - a nice broth, lots of chicken, carrots and a sizeable matazo ball (hard for those that care). The broth was very good, though some dill would step it up a bit. Overall, not as good as what DGS is making, but rather tasty. For our main, we had the "Carving Room Plate" where you get some rye bread, bacon jam, tomato jam, mustard and pickles (cucumber, onion, carrot and cualiflower) served with your choice of three meats. The corned beef was not ready so we went with the pastrami, smoked pork and roast beef. All of the meats were quite good. The pastrami was chewier than I like it and not as spicy as I like it, but they cut it rather thinly, so it makes it pretty easy to eat. The smoked pork and roast beef were quite good. Both juicy, tender and full of flavor. The prices are reasonable in my opinion. Cup of soup was $5, salad was large and $8 and the carving board was $25 (though sandwiches are like $11 and under). Overall, enjoyable lunch and a good value at half the price of other delis in town (Stakowskis excluded). I'm sure this will be packed at lunch and other times.

[Cook In / Dine Out]

I've become a big fan of The Carving Room, which is convenient to my workplace, so I've been having lunch there frequently. Tonight I finally got to try their cocktails, which are also quite good and include house-made syrups like the agave-habanero syrup that spiced the margarita-like cocktail. Really enjoyed the drinks.

[hoosiereph]

Had already finished my own lunch and was passing by when I saw a group of colleagues go in and decided to tag along and sample a few tastes. Matzo ball soup was yummy and almost enticed me to order my own. The matzo ball was a little heavier than I like it, but the broth tasted right (floating vegetables may be a turnoff for purists). Also, the ratio of (large) matzo ball to (small) cup of broth was not quite right -- would think about ordering the bowl and (if there is one) taking the second ball to go next time.

Best of the sandwiches I snagged bites of was the crispy corned beef. Great texture, delicious flavor. A little salty -- I wouldn't order it with a side of fries. The egg salad, interestingly enough, also drew raves, and virtually everything was finished, except for the bread crusts. And the green salad looked far more enticing than its menu description would suggest.

If you go at lunch, I think the two 1/2 sandwich combo for $10 is the way to go to try a couple of things together.

[Cook In / Dine Out]

I put up my post about The Carving Room today. I really like this place. The sandwiches are interesting and show some care in how they've been put together with different breads and condiments. And I love the emphasis on pickles. It's a nice contrast from Taylor Gourmet--the area's other popular sandwich place--since the style of sandwiches at Carving Room are so different.

I agree with hoosiereph that the half sandwich with side salad (topped generously with pickles) is the way to go. It's a pretty big half sandwich.

[eatruneat]

Carving Room has become the go to brunch spot for @MichaelBDC and me over the last several months. It's in the neighborhood, the food is up our alley, and the price is right. Both of us want our brunches to be on the savory and eggy side rather than the sweet side and are surprised at how limited some options are, especially since @MichaelBDC does not like hollandaise which often leaves him with even more limited options. 

My stand by is the shakshuka with rye bread and a side of their house made hot sauce called souk. It's an extra 75 cents but worth it for the kick. While, I can make a pretty mean shakshuka myself, but it's so much easier to go to Carving Room. @MichaelBDC used to like the fontina omelette with crispy pastrami but now goes for the three cheese melt and dips it into my shakshuka for his own version of grilled cheese and tomato soup.