CarrieDaway

The Selden Standard is filling in the gaps of the lower Midtown landscape.  The more than causal but not quite formal eatery is signature New Detroit.  It’s a fairly large restaurant that offers a communal dining table for crowded nights or people looking to mingle.  There is also a small parking lot which inevitably increases my appreciation.

The menu prices are a bit above average; however, a lot of the food is locally sourced.  I went for lunch and ordered the pastrami sandwich which was worth the $14.  It’s so good that I want to go back soon for another because the menu is seasonal and it will likely be rotated out.

As usual, I couldn’t resist asking the waitstaff about an interview.  Jessie consented to answering my questions about the city but prefers to keep a low internet profile so no picture.

Do you live in the city?
I live in Boston-Edison.

What do you like about Detroit?
It’s home, so there’s always that.  I was out of the city for about a decade in my formidable 20s.  I finished school, went to the east coast, went to the west coast and I moved back here 3 years ago.  I’ve always preferred it socially here. There are other physical environments that might seem more pleasing to live in but socially people are so friendly and honest and real here, I’ve always found that really refreshing.  Also the cost of living situation is so much more reasonable here.  In your early 30s you can not work 3 jobs and buy a home and take vacations.  In New York City, Los Angelos, San Francisco and Seattle that’s not a possibility these days for people who aren’t making high six-figure incomes.

What would you change about the city?
I wouldn’t say change perse… I would like to see a lot more progress being made in our infrastructure.  Especially in our education system.  This city is not going to have families living in it again until we have safe and reputable schools to send children too. I have a dozen friends since I’ve been back who have moved out of the city because they have young kids.  I’m not saying it can’t be done – it can definitely be done, raising children in the city, but it entails sending them to private school.  It’s a fully time job to get your kids educated and keep them safe.  That’s the one thing I would like to see MAJOR tax payer dollars going into.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?
Summertime. Belle Isle beach.  That’s what I look forward to on this specific cold winter day.  Also all the exciting stuff coming down the pipeline.  You can literally see the city change month by month at this point. Sometimes I think it’s almost too fast.  I think people definitely need to keep moving forward but sometimes take that one step back to see how that change is effecting the city as a whole and not just making it a brighter, shinier place for people to enjoy on a nightly basis once a month when they come down here.

What do you recommend on the menu?
The squash flatbread is definitely A++.  The roasted cauliflower.  The pistrami sandwich is something we have right now that is kind of a special and it’s absolutely fantastic.