Carving Room (NoMa)

It’s been a hot second since my last post. The day after we went to Rose’s Luxury, my husband and I had our annual jaunt to Komi, which never receives a review because not only are you not allowed to take pictures inside, but also I am a mere mortal, and therefore unworthy of critiquing their food. If you have not been to Komi, please immediately drop everything and make a reservation. I have never been happier to spend $800. Frankly, I’ve never been happier in my life than I am every time I go there.

But this post is not about Komi, it’s actually about the new edition of Carving Room that opened recently in NoMa, next to the Harris Teeter. If you went to Komi, you’d understand why I got sidetracked there. Man, that area of town desperately needs some sign of life between 5 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. on Mondays. I think all the other businesses there forget how many people live nearby (including yours truly) and just take a siesta when the suits aren’t around. Annoying. Carving Room might be the best thing to happen to NoMa–and my belly–since…maybe ever.

We arrived at happy hour but still managed to find good seats at the bar. The beer list is fantastic–I got the mango passionfruit weisse from Vasen and my husband ordered a brown ale. And those weren’t even the only two non-IPAs on the menu! Color me impressed.

We weren’t terribly hungry after arriving home from a vacation sixteen time zones away. Honestly, I don’t think either of knew what day or time it was. So we decided to split an app and a flatbread (aka fancy pizza, why are we even pretending here?)

The beet dip was interesting! Yogurt was a creamy complement and it was rich and sweet. I think the garlic and oil on the baguette slices overwhelmed the subtle flavor a little bit (and my husband claims that he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between this and tomato sauce if he were blindfolded). I ate the hell out of it, though.

As soon as we finished, our lamb rib flatbread arrived. If I could marry a flatbread, this is the one I would choose. Spicy, cilantro-y, smoky, sumac-y, oily, lamb-y goodness. Finally, a pizza for people who love Persian food. Zero complaints. We had more than enough left over to take home.

It was at this point that my boggled and sleep-deprived husband noticed one of the servers wearing a shirt with the restaurant’s logo on the back and burst excitedly, “CARVING ROOM?! That sounds delicious; I want to go there!”

The GSA and ATF crowds cleared out and we ordered another round of drinks, cocktails this time. Husband got the Sexy Mexi while I had the Penny Lane, totally out of character for me because gin is the worst. But not in this case! The basil in the drink actually balanced out the pine sap flavor of the gin and it had a good acidity from the raspberries. The Sexy Mexi was pretty good, although the hibiscus flavor is drowned out by mezcal.

So we ended up spending about double on alcohol that we did on food, which, if you haven’t been following long, is what my husband and I refer to as “winning.”

Price: $30 per person.

Bottom line: Excellent food and beer selection, thank you Carving Room for making NoMa a more enjoyable place to be on the weekend!