Keith Fuller of Root 174 in Regent Square will join Rick DeShantz and Tolga Sevdik to open Pork & Beans at 136 6th St. in what had been Melange Bistro Bar in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. The team is shooting for an early 2016 opening.

Mr. Fuller, Root 174’s chef and owner, and Mr. DeShantz, chef and partner in Meat & Potatoes, Butcher and the Rye and Tako in Downtown, have been talking about opening a restaurant together for several years before the project came to fruition.

“I’ve known Rick since the days he ran the kitchen at Nine on Nine,” Mr. Fuller said. That was back in the aughts, when Mr. Fuller was a chef at Six Penn Kitchen before he opened Root 174.

Their friendship solidified through events and collaborative dinners. “He has become one of the most genuine friends I have,” Mr. Fuller said.

“We wanted to bring things we both do really well together to create something the city has never seen before,” said Mr. DeShantz.

He cited his attention to detail and Mr. Fuller’s “vegetable-forward style of cooking,” in the creation of “a well-rounded menu” through his spokesperson, Tamara Lelli.

The pork-centric ale house will offer a menu of sausages, barbecue, housemade hot dogs and variations in the smoked and cured meats genre.

Vegetarians will not be ignored, as the menu will also feature vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes, signatures of the menu at Root 174, which will remain open.

As far as the space is concerned, look for a restaurant that’s similar but more casual than Meat & Potatoes, shaped by Mr. DeShantz’s eye for design, with input from Mr. Fuller.

Mr. Fuller opened Root 174 in 2011, the same year Mr. DeShantz and Mr. Sevdik debuted the wildly popular Meat & Potatoes.

Mr. DeShantz and Mr. Sevdik followed up with Butcher and the Rye in late 2013, while Tako opened in April. Tako is the most ambitious of their restaurants so far, with the well-regarded David Racicot -- former chef/owner of Notion in East Liberty-- as chef de cuisine.

Melissa McCart: 412-263-1198 or on Twitter @melissamccart

First Published: September 10, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Updated: September 10, 2015, 8:01 p.m.