Selden Standard Team Plots High-End Mediterranean Restaurant in New Center

The owners of one of Detroit’s best loved restaurants Selden Standard are preparing for their second act — a high-end Mediterranean restaurant in New Center. Chef Andy Hollyday and partner Evan Hansen plan to bring the new as-of-yet-unnamed eatery to a former Payless ShoeSource outlet at 6535 Woodward Ave., the pair tell the Detroit Free Press.

When it opens — sometime in 2019 — the restaurant menu will showcase flavors and techniques from France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Morocco, and the larger Middle East, according to Hollyday. Customers can also expect to find a tasting menu on offer in the dining room.

The team is currently still in the early stages of renovating the building but have tapped Et al. Collaborative (the architects behind Selden Standard) to design the space, which features 40-foot-high ceilings.

Despite being located so close to the fast-developing Midtown area, restaurants and cafes that placed early bets on New Center in the aftermath of Detroit’s bankruptcy have faced challenges. Businesses along Woodward Avenue were also particularly hard hit during construction of the QLine.

Finally, the neighborhood now seems to be experiencing the bubbling over effect as restaurants like City Bakery, Plum Market, Woodpile BBQ Shack, and Wilda’s all in the works. New Center Eatery is also recently won a grant to relocate to Woodward Avenue.

Nearby Milwaukee Junction the Kiesling bar is gaining a second lease on life and Batch Brewing Company has planned a second production facility and tasting room in the North End. More announcements are likely to come as Mark Kurlyandchik reports that an out-of-town chef is rumored to be taking over the former Zenith space inside the Fisher.

• Selden Standard Team to Open Upscale Mediterranean Restaurant in New Center [Freep]
• All Selden Standard Coverage [ED]
• All Expansions Coverage [E]