On one hand, the throes of a global pandemic is a strange time to focus on awards.

On the other, what better time to celebrate happy moments? And we’ve got a big one to share: Pastry Chef Lena Sareini has just been featured in the Food & Wine annual Best New Chefs issue alongside some other great national talent.

From article: ‘I know a lot of times when people go out for dessert, it’s just an indulgence,” she says. Some might take just one or two bites before being overwhelmed with sugar. “I want to see empty plates come back.” To do this, Sareini, the pastry chef at Detroit’s Selden Standard, works savory elements—often unexpected ones—into each of her recipes.

If you’d like to take up Lena’s clean plate challenge, you can make (and eat) her Labneh Panna Cotta.

Anyhow, it’s hard for us to think of Lena as “new” since she’ll have been a part of our family for five years at the end of May, but it’s not hard for us to think of her as the best because, well, she is. Congrats to a great pastry chef and an even better person on another well-earned honor. Cheers (from six feet away) to Lena!

The 2020 James Beard Foundation semi-finalists were announced today. A heartfelt congratulations to our beloved Chef Andy Hollyday and Pastry Chef Lena Sareini on their respective Best Chef Great Lakes and Rising Star nods!

And of course, congrats to all our other friends in southeast Michigan for another impressive showing: Sister Pie, Mabel Gray, Marrow, The Sugar House, ima, Miss Kim, Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Saffron de Twah, and the Eid family. It’s an honor and a delight to a part of this evolving food and dining scene with you all.

Every so often, especially around the holiday season, we like to share a recipe or two that you can use at your own table. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we thought we’d offer up a Brussels sprouts dish.

Ingredients (serves ~4)

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup, plus another 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1/4 lb crumbled blue cheese (go see our pals at Mongers Provisions for some great ones)
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
• 1 Tbsp honey
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat a baking sheet with the quarter cup of olive oil. Place the sprouts cut side down in an even layer. Place in the oven and roast for about 30-45 minutes. Check every fifteen minutes. Be sure the cut sides are golden brown and the sprouts are just tender. 

While sprouts are roasting, mix together the vinegar, shallot, garlic, mustard, honey and remaining half cup of oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper and set aside. When the sprouts are done roasting, place them in a large mixing bowl with the walnuts and blue cheese. Season with salt and pepper and dress with as much of the vinaigrette as you like. Reserve any remaining vinaigrette for another use.

This recipe lends itself to modification, so feel free to play around by substituting different nuts, cheeses, or vinaigrettes. Add a seasonal fruit to change things up. Sliced apples or pears, sliced dates, or dried figs all work well here.

For other Thanksgiving recipes, check some of our past posts.

While Ashes & Diamonds is a relatively new producer, owner Kashy Khaledi is a familiar face in Napa. His parents own the acclaimed estate Darioush, and after a successful career away from wine, Kashy has returned home with his own project.

Collaborating with legendary winemakers like Dan Petroski (Larkmead, Massican), Diana Snowden Seysses (Snowden, Dujac), and Steve Matthiasson (Matthiasson, Stags Leap), he has put forth an array of classic Napa cabs, Bordeaux blends, and creative reds that have immediately garnered critical and commercial success.

We’ve proudly served their “Grand Vin” in the past, so we’re ecstatic to bring Kashy Khaledi to Selden for a five-course pairing dinner. Among the wines we’ll serve in his company is the Ashes & Diamonds Atlas Peak cabernet, essentially their tete de cuvée, which will debut in Michigan at the event.

Wednesday, November 13
6:30pm
$200/person, which includes tax and gratuity

BUY TICKETS

(When reserving seats, please choose the number of guests, then scroll down to the red “Napa Dinner” button to make your reservation.)

Chef Andy’s been looking forward to working with some more luxurious proteins for this dinner and has drafted the menu in advance:

Lobster Salad
Beet, avocado, fennel, citrus

Black Bass
Mushroom broth, freekeh, brown butter

Duck Confit
Brandied figs, chestnut purée

Lamb Loin
Parmesan risotto, au poivre

Yogurt Panna cotta
Pomegranate, meringue

Please note that we’re always happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions and allergies. Please just kindly let us know in advance. Tickets are first come, first served, and are available online only.

Specialization can be an indicator of a wine importer’s commitment to presenting a thoughtful selection. In Patrick Allen’s case, that specialty is southern France. After moving there in 2002, he developed a rich portfolio of French wines from producers that span the underappreciated to the truly legendary.

Allen will join us for a dinner that will take guests all across southern France. From crisp coastal whites to bold, old vine reds to the classic dessert wines from Rivesaltes, he’ll teach us about these venerable French producers, from the underappreciated old-vine reds of Clos del Rey to the now legendary Provencal wine from Domaine de Trevallon.

Date: Thursday, October 24, 2019
Time: 6:30pm
Cost: $95/person, which includes tax and gratuity
What: 5 course dinner with 5 wines

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(Please be sure to select the red “Wine Dinner” button rather than a dining room seat when making your reservation. Tickets are non-refundable and are only available online.)

Psst…

We’re also hosting a sherry dinner with esteemed producer Valdespino on Wednesday, October 30th. Read more and buy tickets here.

“If I had a thousand sons, the first humane principle I would teach them should be, to forswear thin potations and to addict themselves to sack!”

When Shakespeare penned Falstaff’s words in Henry IV, sack was a synonym for one of Spain’s great wine traditions: sherry. While many of us grew up thinking of sherry merely as sweet wine collecting dust in the back of the pantry, most sherry is dry and uniquely suited to food.

So we’re delighted to host a sherry dinner featuring the sherries of renowned, centuries-old producer Valdespino.

Jamie Gil, export director for Valdespino, will be on hand to walk us through the wines and the unique terroir of the region. Having recently been to the heart of sherry country, Chef Andy will no doubt draw on some classic Andalusian flavors, but he’ll look to present some other cuisines as well. It promises to be an exceptionally fun and educational evening.

Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Time: 6:30pm
Cost: $95/person, which includes tax and gratuity
What: 5 course dinner with 6 sherries

BUY TICKETS

(Please be sure to select the red “Sherry Dinner” button rather than a dining room seat when making your reservation. Tickets are non-refundable and are only available online.)

For more information about sherry (and an old cocktail recipe of ours featuring sherry), check out one of our old blog posts.

We were fortunate, not to mention honored, to get some mentions in the national media alongside a number of our friends over the past week.

The Wall Street Journal’s Off Duty section came to town for a whirlwind weekend through Detroit and mentioned us as part of their ideal itinerary. Always a treat to be recognized, but it’s both fun and gratifying to be mentioned alongside other great restaurants and some of our favorite things to do. The “long weekend” format made it a tight list despite the diverse set of things the author recommended, and it’s nice to still find ourselves on some of these now that we’re almost five years old. You’ll need a subscription to give it a read.

A few days later, Forbes published a similar roundup that’s a more traditional rundown of a lot of restaurants in the greater downtown area. Again, it’s hard to argue with many of their recommendations, and the list is accessible to the public.

Anyhow, definitely some nice attention for a number of restaurants and attractions in town.

More evocative of an evil genius’ hidden lair than agriturismo, Edi Kante’s winery is almost as notable for its own construction as for the stunning wines produced therein. We’ve always enjoyed the fruits of his labor, having poured his Vitovska by the glass previously. But earlier this year, we had the opportunity to visit Kante — and to witness firsthand the thought and energy that this mad genius has put into his facility is breathtaking.

Open fire, his own colorful artwork, and hundreds of visitors’ messages scrawled across the walls brighten the tasting room he has constructed in his single-story ranch in the woods. It isn’t the house that’s so remarkable though. It’s what lies underneath.

Walk down the stairs toward what is ostensibly a basement cellar, and a wave of cool, damp air presents itself like a wall. No ordinary winery, Kante’s is sculpted from the bedrock, forming three circular bunkers stacked atop one another, each with its own purpose. First, his steel tanks where he ferments his Vitovska, Malvasia, Sauvignon Blanc, et al. Then, after another descent, his barrel room, laid out in perfect symmetry like some sort of Wight Walker shrine from Game of Thrones, where he ages each of his wines. Finally, the third level down serves as a bottle cellar where wines are stored until release — though it might be more accurate to call it a stasis chamber. We had the pleasure to taste a sparkling rose from 2010 that was impossibly fresh.

Only a kilometer from the Slovenian border, Kante’s limestone chambers are indicative of the ubiquitous grey limestone of the Carso district of Friuli. Near Trieste, it’s bordered by Adriatic Sea to the south, the Alps to the north, the hills of Collio to the west, and the Balkan peninsula to the east. Another winemaker described Carso to us as “another planet.” It’s quite cool at night, let alone 50 feet beneath the ground in his man made caverns. The wines are likewise taught, fresh, and minerally.

Being able to taste them all side-by-side for the first time was eye-opening, even for a producer we’ve known and admired. More of his wines will be coming to Selden Standard over the coming year, but for now, we’re delighted to be serving his Sauvignon Blanc.

Edi Kante Sauvignon Blanc – 2015

French grapes might seem like an odd choice for northeastern Italy, but Sauvignon Blanc has been grown here for well over a century. Some legends claiming it was smuggled over in bouquets of flowers destined for a lord’s lover. Regardless, it turns out to be a natural fit for not only Carso but elsewhere in Friuli.

As with his other wines, this spends a year in old barrels and 6 months in a stainless tank before bottling. Whether it’s the limestone and clay in which it grows or the cool temperatures in which it ages, this is an uncommonly elegant, lithe Sauvignon Blanc with a crisp, restrained saline profile. With a little time, it seems to gain texture and soft, pretty citrus flower aromatics. There’s none of the aggressive grapefruit or vegetal notes of many Sauvignon Blancs – but it certainly retains the freshness. Grab a glass and a half dozen sweet-salty oysters and life may feel complete.

Last winter, we hosted local importer and distributor Chip Delsener, owner of AHD Vintners, for a delicious, informative Vega Sicilia dinner. But as anyone who works with Chip’s company can tell you, he is known widely both in Michigan and in Bordeaux for being this state’s premier importer of Bordeaux wines. So we’re excited to have him back to present a selection of Bordeaux alongside Andy’s food.

The event takes place on Wednesday, November 28, at 6:30pm. This five-course dinner is a ticketed event at $150 per person, including tax and gratuity.

Buy tickets to the Bordeaux Dinner (via Resy)

Bordeaux needs little introduction to many wine lovers. It’s widely consumed and written about. While the popular press does tend to focus on a handful of big names and luxury brands, the sheer scope of the region is even more staggering than many realize: From corporate-owned behemoths to small biodynamic farmers, big cabs to lush merlot, dry whites to sticky dessert wines, it’s a treasure trove of great producers, great stories, and great wines. Naturally, we’ll be showcasing a range of those regions, styles, and grapes.

Tickets are non-refundable, offered on a first come-first served basis, and are only available via our online reservations site. Price includes tax and gratuity. While we are happy to accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions, we kindly request that you let us know upon booking so we can plan accordingly.

Known principally for Barolo and Barbaresco, the wines of Piedmont are uncommonly diverse (and delicious). To take us on a “tour” of the area, we welcome Cameron Abbott of boutique importer The Piedmont Guy for a dinner presenting a selection of Piedmontese wines.

We’ll feature a wide assortment – from dry sparklers and whites to a series of Nebbiolo-based wines – including a side-by-side comparison of two single vineyard Barbarescos as well as a Barolo from the lauded 2013 vintage.

And of course, Chef Andy will prepare a five-course meal to accompany the wines.

Held on Wednesday, November 14, at 6:30pm, the dinner is a ticketed event at $100 per person, which includes tax and gratuity.

Buy tickets to the Piedmont Dinner (via Resy)

True to its name, The Piedmont Guy specializes in the many wines of Piedmont. While Barolo and Barbaresco are justifiably revered, the diversity of terroir and grapes make it one of the most exciting areas for buying, studying, and of course, drinking wines. And The Piedmont Guy is among the top importers in the country for seeking out exemplary family owned properties throughout the entire area. Their wines have been a recurring feature on our list for a few years now, and we’re excited to be able to present some of them in this way.

Tickets are only available online on a first-come, first-served basis.

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