As we head into the end of 2023, we’ve recently celebrated both our nine year anniversary as well as Thanksgiving. With a spirit of gratitude filling the restaurant, it seemed like a good time to offer a little thank you recipe to our guests. If you’re looking for an easy meal that’s still appropriately celebratory, this just might be it. Indeed, we offered these during the pandemic as holiday takeout meals, and the response from guests was great.
Braised Brisket
Marinate the brisket in a large ziplock or Tupperware. Combine meat with wine, onion, carrot, celery. Seal and marinate in the fridge overnight, 8-12 hours,
The next day, preheat the oven to 300F. Remove the meat and place a on rack to drain. Separate the wine and veggies and reserve for later use. Pat the brisket dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat a Dutch oven or heavy duty casserole to medium-high heat. Add oil and brown the meat all over. Once browned, remove to a plate and add the reserved vegetables. Cook until beginning to brown, then add the reserved wine and reduce to half. Add the stock and simmer. Return the meat to the pot with the fresh herbs. Simmer, cover, then move to the oven.
After 4 hours, check for doneness: it should be quite tender but not falling apart. If necessary, continue to cook and check in a half hour or so.
When done, remove the brisket and cover/wrap with foil to rest. Strain the liquid into a pot to simmer, skimming the fat that floats to the top. Reduce to your liking, but we’re looking for a light sauce, not gravy. If needed, add more salt and pepper to season.
Do ahead: At this point, you can store the brisket in the sauce and gently re-heat it the next day in the oven. Slice thinly and serve with the sauce spooned over the top or in a bowl to the side. Top with a little salsa verde (below).
Salsa Verde
Combine all dry ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Add oil to cover. Mix and incorporate. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary. Add a small squeeze of lemon juice right before serving.
After a long couple of years of ever-changing hours, we’re delighted to be open seven nights a week. We opened again on Mondays earlier this year and have just re-opened for Tuesday dinner services again last night. We’ll look forward to seeing you in Detroit soon!
We were delighted to learn earlier today that Chef Andy was nominated as a James Beard Finalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes. He’s been a semi-finalist five times, but this will be his first time headed to Chicago as a finalist alongside fellow Detroit chefs Omar Anani from Saffron De Twah and Sarah Welch from Marrow.
It’s quite an honor for Andy, of course, but all restaurant awards, including the James Beard Foundation awards, are ultimately recognition for the team. There’s a lot that goes into any restaurant, including Selden, and the dozens of folks who are here every day helping make your night special are what makes this type of national praise possible. So congratulations to Andy and our entire team!
The award ceremony will be in June in Chicago with plenty of other great nominees, including several from Chicago with really great restaurants. So indeed, it’s an honor just to be nominated. (But we’ll keep our fingers crossed for Detroit!)
The readers of Hour Detroit have again voted us Best Restaurant, Wayne County. (As well as best so-called farm-to-table restaurant.) It’s an honor we were delighted to receive in the past, and especially in light of the challenges our industry has faced over the last two years, we’re most appreciative to have so many people’s respect and trust. We’ll do our best to continue to earn that as we march toward our eighth birthday this fall.
It so happens that Time magazine also named Detroit one of their “greatest places in the world” for 2022, and we garnered a mention in their recap of our city’s food scene.
We’re proud to work with a great team who continues to welcome our guests warmly and put forth delicious food and drink. While we try never to focus on awards or media mentions, it’s nonetheless gratifying to see their hard work recognized both locally and nationally. As always, thanks for the support!
We were honored to be named Restaurant of the Year by the Detroit Free Press in 2015, and this cauliflower dish from that early menu was mentioned in the write-up. It was among our most popular offerings.
Tahini Vinaigrette
Add everything but the olive oil and water to a bowl. Whisk to incorporate. Add the oil, continuing to whisk. The dressing will look “broken” and not smooth to start. Once all the oil is added, slowly add the water while continuing to whisk, and it will eventually emulsify into a nice dressing.
Heat oven to 425 F. In a mixing bowl, toss florets of cauliflower with oil and salt. Spread on a sheet tray or baking dish and roast, turning once or twice, until tender with golden edges, about 20 minutes.
Toss the roasted veggies with the tahini vinaigrette and pickled chilis, tasting for seasoning.
When plating, garnish with cilantro and a bit more chili.