If you can imagine a sandwich baton, know that it has been passed.
Karved, one of the Valley’s top spots for baguettes loaded with flavorful roasted meats and other toppings, recently expanded beyond its 6-year-old Maryland Parkway store with a second eatery at the Gramercy in the southwest Valley. The new spot is owned and operated by the daughter and son-in-law of Karved’s originators, maintaining the family-business style and friendly atmosphere.
“My parents opened Karved in 2017, it’s all based on my mom’s recipes and my dad still goes in every day for the most part,” says Megan Sparks of her parents’ first-ever restaurant. “They were looking for us to help out, and we had a discussion as a family and decided to open a Karved of our own. We’ve been working with our parents to make sure everything stays consistent. They have a lot of pride in it, as do we.”
They should. In a city where chain sandwich shops dominate the lunchtime landscaped, Karved feels and tastes handcrafted, including top-selling dishes like slow-roasted porchetta ($14) with lemon caper sauce and arugula; Black Angus beef tri-tip ($14) with garlic sauce and onion marmalade; and the rotisserie chicken pita sandwich ($14) with tomatoes, pickled red onion, hummus, arugula and creamy herb dressing.
For those looking beyond the sandwich, Karved gourmet meats also are available as customizable plates ($15-$19) served with two sides, rice and pita bread, or bowls ($12-$18). And dedicated followers are just as passionate about their favorite side dishes as they are with the proteins, choosing from standout options like roasted veggies, rotisserie potatoes, elote-style corn, mac and cheese or “dirty” mashed potatoes.
“A lot of people like to mix the plates and do [vegetables] instead of rice, or seasonal sides like Brussels sprouts,” Sparks says. “It’s clean food, too. We’re not putting a lot of oil or butter in the rice. Everything is fresh, and we want to accommodate people who don’t eat meat so our processes stay vegan-friendly.”
The Gramercy restaurant, which opened in early June, maintains the original menu, but new additions are in the works, mainly some fresh breakfast options. Expect to see a steak, egg and cheese sandwich landing soon, designed to satisfy the surrounding office and small-business workers in the immediate area.
The accessibility of Karved feels like a natural fit with the complex’s other dining options, DW Bistro, Pinches Tacos and Anima by Edo. “The neighbors we have here are awesome, and everyone’s been so welcoming,” Sparks says. “We’ve already visited their restaurants multiple times, and I think we’re becoming sort of a close-knit, Gramercy food group. There’s a lot happening in a couple miles, and we’re excited to grow with the neighborhood.”
KARVED 9275 W. Russell Road, 702-527-6285, karvedlv.com. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
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