A decade ago, this small pocket of the Cass Corridor was a desolate landscape, dominated by abandoned, graffiti-strewn buildings.
Then two men who believed in Detroit’s comeback sunk their money in a squat, brick building with torn-up concrete floors at the corner of Second and Selden in Detroit with a vision of transforming the vacant dry cleaning business into a premier dining establishment.
To many, the plan seemed foolhardy and improbable. Why, the skeptics reasoned, would people flock to this dilapidated corner for fine dining?
But like many mavericks, Andy Hollyday and Evan Hansen saw potential where no one else did. Their idea was to create a restaurant that served seasonal, fresh, and flavorful food made from scratch. With a rotating menu of small plates, much of the food would come from local farms and be charred in a wood-fired oven.
“A lot of people thought we were nuts,” chef-owner Hollyday tells Metro Times. “Evan and I had a solid vision. We wanted to be in a neighborhood, but we really didn’t want to be downtown. We had our vision. We were optimistic. The restaurant scene wasn’t what it is today, so we decided to create our space, and we just hoped people would find it. We saw the potential. And 10 years later, this is a great location.”
Hollyday had plenty of culinary experience and built a following while working as executive chef at Roast at the Westin Book Cadillac. The Toledo native graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and cooked at L’Essentiel in Chambery, France; Tribute in Farmington; and Oliveto in Oakland, California.
Selden Standard opened in November 2014 and quickly became a success, earning many accolades, including Restaurant of the Year by the Detroit Free Press in 2015, Hour Magazine in 2016, and USA Today in 2024. The New American restaurant also was a James Beard semi-finalist for outstanding restaurant. Last year, Hollyday was a finalist for best chef in the Great Lakes region.
With a rustic, casual ambience, the Selden Standard attracts a steady stream of diverse diners and is often filled to capacity.
“We just wanted space to express our love for food and drink and bringing people together,” Hollyday says. “It all came from a place of love for our craft. We had no idea what it would turn into. At the time we felt if we did this people would find us and we would be OK. We never thought about this being a catalyst.”
On its 10th anniversary, the Selden Standard is now at the center of a culinary haven that has grown around the restaurant. A block away on Selden near Cass is SheWolf, a fine dining restaurant that focuses on contemporary Italian food inspired by old Rome. SheWolf opened in the summer of 2018 on the ground floor of a new loft building and is one of the hardest restaurants to get a reservation for. A decade ago, the space was a long-vacant, crumbling building.
The success of Selden Standard was one of the main reasons SheWolf chose that spot, says SheWolf executive chef and proprietor Anthony Lombardo.
“They’re a good restaurant, and we wanted to build off that synergy,” Lombardo says.
With a close proximity to Wayne State University, major hospitals, and numerous theaters and sports venues, Lombardo says the location was bound to take off.
“The location was kind of strategic,” Lombardo says. “It’s not downtown, but it’s close enough where you can get a meal before a theater show or something at Little Caesars Arena or summer concerts. You can get a meal and walk to the show.”
One block north of the Selden Standard on Second Avenue is Mad Nice, an upscale, Italian-inspired restaurant that opened in March and occupies a building that once housed a lower-income grocery store and later a fine leather goods retailer.
The latest fine dining restaurant to open in this small pocket is Vigilante Kitchen and Bar, a modern, high-end eatery with Asian and French influences, located a half-block west of the Selden Standard on Selden. The restaurant opened in June and welcomed diners with a unique space accented with purple neon, skulls, and punk rock decor.
Vigilante partners with next-door neighbors Nain Rouge Brewery, which offers more than a dozen specialty beers.
Vigilante declined to speak with Metro Times.
Since Selden Standard opened, other businesses have also sprung up. On the same block as Vigilante are Condado Tacos and Barcade, which features dozens of video games and pinball machines, along with a full bar.
Seasons Market, a small grocer with a cafe and farmer’s stand, opened in 2022 across the street from Mad Nice and offers homemade meals and in-seasons fruits and veggies. It was built with bricks from the building that was demolished at the location where SheWolf is.
Hollyday and Hansen could never have envisioned the transformation that their restaurant inspired. While the menu is constantly changing, their reliance on fresh, seasonal, local, and handmade food has not.
“I would say most of everything is very similar conceptually to when we started,” Hansen says. “At a root level, the approach to the food and drinks and service is still the same. It’s like a dinner party.”
On a recent Friday evening, the Selden Standard was buzzing, with every table occupied. Diners feasted on freshly made sourdough bread, succulent oysters, tender beef tartare, and creamy crûléed cheese tart.
“From the very beginning, we wanted it to be an experience like you’re coming into our house,” Hollyday says. “We wanted this to be a space that wasn’t stuffy and was very successful. Everyone is welcome. It should be fun and relaxing.”
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