The Carving Board

Located at 318 South Stratford Road in the Thruway Shopping Center in Winston-Salem, The Carving Board is a full-service deli offering sandwiches, salads, and desserts Monday through Saturday. Dinner entrees (weekdays only) change daily, and catering is available.

A quest for spicy sesame noodles (a constant among the ever-changing salad selections) led me to The Carving Board, but there are enough appealing options to merit a return here absent said craving. Versatility is definitely The Carving Board’s strength. Sandwiches can be built to-order or selected from a pool of classic “suggestions” (Pilgrims, Reubens, etc.). They can also be halved and paired with soups or salads, leaving lots of potential combinations.

That same versatility can make ordering a bit interesting. The Carving Board tends to get very busy around lunch time, and long lines both form easily and move quickly. It is advisable to either think about what you want before getting in line or to be prepared to make a prompt snap decision.

For our first visit, my wife and I went with a veggie wrap (cucumber, avocado, carrot, lets, tomato, cheese, and herb mayo) and a half-Reuben/salad (spinach, apple, and bacon) combo, respectively. Our food was readied swiftly, and even during the busy lunch hour, there was plenty of seating. The wrap and the salad were both generously portioned, leaving the half-Reuben looking a bit flat in comparison. The salad tasted fresh and balanced sweet and salty well, and while the Reuben wasn’t revelatory, it still satisfied. A to-go order of sesame noodles, enjoyed the next day, were a definite re-order. They were neither as thick nor as sauce-heavy as you’d find in a Chinese restaurant, but they were definitely superior to the oily variant sold at Harris-Teeter.

The Carving Board’s pricing is moderate. Many of the sandwiches are in the $7 to $8 range without sides, certainly no great value. However, the quality and variety of available salads makes the half sandwich and salad combo ($8) or the 3-salad plate ($10) a better deal.

Ordering can be a bit frenzied, and the sandwiches aren’t world-beaters, but the wide selection of salads makes The Carving Board well worth a lunch stop.

7.5/10