Selden Standard — Restaurant in Detroit

Service and atmosphere were great, the food was ok. The timing of the dishes was a little off; the waitress wanted us to order all of them at once and it wasn’t made exactly clear in what order they’d be served. I liked that they were mostly being served one at a time, though (under the assumption that we’d be sharing), but then suddenly serving them two at a time was confusing and felt rushed.

From one chef to another Id like to offer my thoughts on the food a bit more in depth to whoever may be interested: I tried the broccoli, mushroom, zucchini, spicy squid, steak and pavlova dishes. I thought the broccoli was the most excellent, but didn’t notice the coriander till the end because it was pooled at the very bottom and also didn’t notice much sesame. It could’ve used more cilantro incorporated and not just on top, and would’ve been nice with lime juice incorporated instead of on side. The mushroom dish was underwhelming - like it needed more salt or something - and I didn’t notice any espellette. The squash was good but some of the squash could’ve been cooked a little longer and seasoned more. The squid was probably my least favorite dish. It was too intense - the chili and acid and whatever sauce it had overwhelmed the flavors of anything else in the dish, including the squid itself. It had vegetables in it that weren’t mentioned on the menu, and the rice wasn’t crispy as mentioned on the menu. It’s also odd that one can’t see the rice after plating. And there were so many micro greens/pea tendrils that it should’ve also been listed on the menu at that point because it was such a big part of the dish. Micro greens are for decoration and are usually smaller in size. As for the steak.. well, all I can say was that for the price, it was nothing special. Allium sounds fancy but it was just grilled onion, and that in combo with its chimichurri and mushroom didn’t give it much of a balance of flavor aside from umami. It could’ve used parsnips or sweet potato or something in my opinion.

The pavlova was phenomenal! Bravo! I would just add a little more substance to the cream inside.. something a little thicker perhaps, as the meringue kind of melts away and that in combo with cream which is airy just gives one the overall impression of not having eaten anything.

The dishes overall, though, are a little confusing to me, not only because they’re either mostly Italian pasta dishes or dishes with Asian influence or the occasional South American or middle eastern in between, but because they are individual components instead of complete dishes. I like that everything is mostly meat and vegetable based, but to hardly have starches on the menu except as a main pasta dish, a potato dish, or the random rice added to the squid dish (when the other dishes don’t have side starches)? Why do potatoes have to be their own dish with their own components and flavors instead of being incorporated into other dishes with those flavors? The dishes deserve to be complete on their own and not lacking something essential.

I’d also consider rearranging the physical menu a little.. beverages with its own huge section above the dessert and next to the food seems off. Chittara is under meat and fish when it doesn’t have either - or at least isn’t mentioned on the menu. “Vegetables and such” - aside from the “such” part being unclear, it’s larger than the meat and fish section, a section that is commonly bigger in size than the rest of the menu. It’s vegetables and mostly pasta. Maybe have a separate pasta section?

Overall a nice experience, and thank you...

After a five-hour drive to visit a friend, I was excited to get dinner with her at Selden Standard, which she recommended.

We had a 5:15 p.m. reservation but arrived at 5:30 due to our Uber driver missing a few turns. We’d tried to call as a courtesy to let them know we were running late, but no one answered and we were directed to voicemail. When we arrived, I apologized for the delay and let the host know we had tried to call.

The host was polite and told us we still had our table but that they would need it back by 7:00 p.m. She asked whether we’d prefer to take the table with that time limit or sit at the bar as long as we want. We decided to take the table for now and figured we could move to the bar later if needed.

As we were being led to the table by a man I later learned was the manager, Paul, I joked quietly to my friend, “I’ve never had a restaurant give us a time limit—it’s like we’re renting the table!” It was a lighthearted remark, not meant for anyone but her.

When we reached the table, I noticed a beautiful patio area and asked if we could sit outside. Paul said no, and I asked if the outside tables were Selden's. (Not being from the area, I genuinely didn’t know whether the space belonged to Selden or a neighboring restaurant.)

Paul’s response was unexpectedly intense—he sharply told us the outside tables were already reserved and that we had reserved this one. Then, seemingly referencing my earlier joke (which he must have overheard), he said something like, “You’re not renting the table—you reserved it, just like others reserved those.”

Taken aback by his tone, I said, “No problem, I was just asking because I wasn’t sure. Is everything okay?” He responded that I had been rude to the host.

I was shocked and immediately apologized. I said "I am so sorry, I did not mean to be rude" and asked what I had said. He cited my “renting the table” comment. I explained it had been a private joke to my friend, not intended as criticism, and reiterated that we were totally fine with the 7:00 time limit.

Despite this, he kept pressing the issue and seemed genuinely angry. All I could do was try to apologize for sounding rude, and assure him that I didn't mean anything by it. But he would not let it drop and continued berating us in a very confrontational and uncomfortable way. His whole body seemed tense and his voice sounded like he was on the very edge of restraining himself.

Ultimately it left me at a loss for words. My friend stepped in and tried to smooth things over. She clarified that I was only talking to her when I made the "rent a table" comment. She even praised the hostess and called her fabulous. She asked Paul if we could all just "shake off" the misunderstanding. But he wouldn’t let it go—he continued to push the issue. It was very unnerving.

At the end, Paul repeated that patio seating wasn't available to us (which we hadn’t even asked about again). It was clear we were not welcome and we quietly left.

To Paul: your reaction was disproportionate and deeply uncomfortable. I’ve never been spoken to that way in a restaurant, especially not when trying to be courteous and apologetic. The fact that you continued thee confrontation after my multiple good faith attempts to clarify and de-escalate, especially when I clearly wasn't looking for a fight, reflects poor judgment and a lack of emotional control.

I hope you’re able to reflect on what made you escalate such a minor comment into a confrontation that drove away two...

Physically intimidated and verbally harassed by General Manager Paul, who was flexing his muscles, raising his voice and leaning in to chastise and berate my guests and me. And if you’re curious as the reader to this review, we were extremely apologetic and trying to make peace with this man after a simple, innocuous/not in any way offensive, question about seating set him off.

Truly NEVER bring your family or friends here, unless you’re willing to be absolutely mortified by the treatment if Paul is working. I have been to SS before and had a great experience: I’m a repeat customer who worked in the restaurant industry for years and is now a professional.

I have never, ever been spoken to like that (for objectively no reason), let alone so quickly and for no apparent reason, before in my life. Paul’s statements and behavior were shocking to me and upsetting to my guests. We left, and they and I both will never be back.

To Evan: I was told you’re the owner of Selden Standard, and I’m sure you’re proud of the great reputation you’ve grown in the Detroit community. And you should be. But as a formerly repeat patron and a connected business professional in the area, you need to take this seriously. I’m aware Paul has been GM for many years. I’m also aware his behavior last night was wildly inappropriate and uncalled for. And honestly, concerning. He seems to be at the end of his rope customer service-wise. And I see multiple reviews in here about Paul specifically in just the last few weeks. FWIW, every other employee we interacted with was great, polite and respectful.

We will never be back so long as Paul continues his role as General Manager. Be aware that if you show up on a night he’s working, you might end up flinching away from a pissy, unkind and unhinged 40-something year old man. Unreal. To the staff (especially to the young women, as a woman who used to be a 20-something working in restaurants), his behavior is not okay or justifiable, and I’m so sorry if you have had to put up with a power trip of his before.

I put up with one of Paul’s power trips, and I will never again put myself in that position. Do not go to Selden Standard, especially for a special occasion like mine was...