Pittsburgh food lovers know that every kitchen Kevin Sousa touches turns
to gold, so there's been great anticipation over the last two years for
Sousa to finally open his own eatery,
Salt of the Earth,
in Garfield. Next week, the product of two years of meticulous planning
by Sousa and his architect business partners, Doug and Liza Cruze, will
be ready for public consumption.
Sousa says
Salt of the Earth will have its grand opening the week of September
13th, but after a somewhat rocky road towards creating his culinary
vision, he says he's learned that anything can happen, so he is hesitant
to pin down an exact date. Diners can expect the restaurant to encompass
the Sousa trademarks of innovative, yet simple American food that he's
brought to restaurants like the Red Room, Yo Rita! Taqueria, Kaya, and
Soba.
"The idea was to have it be the kind of
place that we would want to go to," says Sousa. "I want to strip away
all the bs that goes with 'fine dining', but still produce a great
product."
By stripping away the bs, Sousa means
shedding such pretenses as uniforms, a kitchen hidden away from the
dining area, boring music, and linen tables. Instead, Salt of the Earth
will focus wholly on affordable food, excellent cocktails, and a
seasonally appropriate menu that changes weekly in accordance with the
freshest local ingredients that can be found.
If
you haven't peeked into the building at 5523 Penn Avenue, the Cruzes
have done an excellent job renovating the space. "It's unbelievable! I
describe it has museum quality finishes. You have to see it. If you're a
design person you'll love it, and if you're not you'll love it and
won't understand why you love it," says Sousa of the 3,600 square foot
restaurant, which features multiple 14 foot tables that seat 12, as well as bar seating, with a total of 80 seats.
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Source: Kevin Sousa, owner of Salt of the Earth
Writer:
John Farley
Photograph copyright John Farley