For those of you who don't already know, East Liberty will be getting yet another delicious restaurant in early 2012. The Union Pig and Chicken is the highly anticipated solo project of owner and chef Kevin Sousa, a McKees Rocks native with a strong following and a penchant for experimental food. Having first gotten the city's attention by serving his delicious but unusual "Alchemy" menu to patrons of the Doubletree's Bigelow Grille (think Dippin Dots-style frozen, liquefied pierogi served with a shot glass of hot sauerkraut consomme), he went on to become the executive chef of the Red Room cafe and a consulting chef for Nine on Nine restaurant before opening his own restaurant, Salt of the Earth, in 2010 to rave reviews.

Now he is opening a second restaurant, one that has a lot of people in Pittsburgh (myself included) very excited to see open.

Back in October, China Millman of the Post Gazette wrote that "Mr. Sousa didn't have his heart set on a second restaurant, but the location and the opportunity to play an early role in East Liberty development convinced him. "I want to be part of the neighborhood," Mr. Sousa said, "Like Soba and Casbah [in Shadyside], those are the restaurants that really last."

Here is a short list of what you can expect from the Union Pig and Chicken:

The Space:

- Communal style seating (picnic bench style)

- Open seven days a week

- Located just 2 blocks away from the new luxury movie theater, opening in 2013

The Food:

- A short menu - probably 10 items or fewer

- Amalgamation of BBQ styles with a Western PA spin

- 2 animals only: pig and chicken, both sustainably sourced

- Fried and barbecued chicken, pork ribs and shoulder (yum)

- Side dishes like grits, greens, and corn bread (yum!!)

Kevin has been posting updates and pictures of the restaurant's progress to his twitter account. For your satisfaction and ease of viewing, we have collected some of them together here:

"The room is growing"

A mock-up of the layout (note the communal style benches)

And my favorite part..."How we will do BBQ" (ie, where the magic will happen)

Excited yet? You can get ready for the restaurant's opening by stocking up on gift cards, available for sale at http://unionpgh.goodsie.com/. The more you buy, the more you get for free.

Can't wait for 2012!