My sandwich struggles in the Valley are well-documented. There are some good spots (Laurel Tavern), but generally, out of pure neccessity, my Valley lunches lean toward the ethnic. So imagine my reserved delight when I headed to my buddy's place in Encino to watch football this past Sunday and he suggested we order sandwiches from a Tarzana joint he had "heard good things about." One glance at The Carving Board menu though and I quickly forgot that my Niners were getting embarrassed. I was too consumed with deciding amongst 21 sandwich options (plus a burger!). It actually got annoying because the sandwiches all sounded pretty friggin' good.
The Turkey Dinner stood out. I'm not exactly sure why. But it just did. I love the idea of a "Thanksgiving" sandwich, yet rarely are they ever anything like what a real leftover turkey sandwich the day after TGiving actually tastes like. They're inauthentic, dry and overall disappointing. Something told me The Carving Board's version would buck the trend though. And it did.
The menu simply reads, "Roasted Turkey, Stuffing, Gravy, Dried Cranberries and Grilled Onions on sourdough."The Turkey Dinner is much more. They start by house roasting the turkey for 4-5 hours and then pulling it. Meanwhile, they bake the sourdough bread also in house, and then "fuse" it with stuffing over the grill (with the assistance of a cast iron weight). After adding the turkey, they throw in some dried cranberries and carmelized onions. It comes with a side of gravy. The result is a fresh, juicy, flavorful turkey sandwich. Like what a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich would taste like if your parents actually could produce a juicy bird. I very easily could see myself going to The Carving Board the day after Thanksgiving and eating that Turkey Dinner sandwich, rather than the one at home.
And bonus: they make their own potato chips. And they are awesome.
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18607 Ventura Blvd, Ste #100, Tarzana
(They also have a food truck that hits up the Westside often)
Love, love, love the Carving Board! That Thanksgiving Dinner is indeed fantastic. I also love the Traditional (turkey and prosciutto). But the real revelation for me has been their beef-based sandwiches. I usually don't order beef at a chain place, but I make an exception here. The Bentley has some really tender filet mignon, and the Blackstone is one of the tastiest Reubens I've ever tried.
ReplyDeleteNot such a fan of the potato chips, personally. Too thick and chewy for my taste.
BTW, they also have a brick-and-mortar location in West LA.