PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Married couple Danielle Cain and Rob Hirst took their favorite term of endearment and turned it into a throwback lounge that serves swanky cocktails with bites to match.

Now that’s true love!

PHOTO COURTESY OF HEY BABE

Hey Babe opened June 16 inside East Liberty’s historic YMCA building on South Whitfield Street. The 116-year-old structure also houses The Maverick boutique hotel and a private event space. Cain and Hirst, local dining scene veterans, lease the ground-floor kitchen and bar, as well as the attached full-service dining area that will launch in the next six to eight months.

Hey Babe isn’t the only new kid on the block — Title 9, Pittsburgh’s first women’s sports watch bar, is open for business as is Kyuramen. Palm Palm, a restaurant from the folks behind Downtown’s Ritual House, is expected to open soon.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Cain, who served as executive director of big Burrito Restaurant Group’s catering division and executive chef at both Kaya and Soba, says she’ll focus more on seasonal entrees when the new space opens. Recently, it was used as a “candy shop” during the filming of the movie “Hershey.”

It’s fitting that Hey Babe is now forever associated with a Hershey’s Kiss.

There are plenty of sweets and savory eats on the current menu along with creative drinks. Hirst has been designing bars and bar programs for hotspots such Soba, Sienna Mercato, Kingfly Spirits and Eleven Contemporary Kitchen and served as the United States Bartending Guild’s Pittsburgh President for five years.

At the behest of everyone around me, I ordered the crispy eggplant, which is categorized as a “small shareable” on the menu. Keep it all to yourself like I did and it makes an excellent meal!

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

It’s battered and fried and topped with grilled hot and sweet peppers, oregano, pine nuts and basil oil with whipped feta. To me, it tasted like summer and was the perfect complement to my Pandan Hi-Ball made with Japanese whisky and housemade soda flavored with pandan, a tropical plant with a flavor that hovers between vanilla and coconut.

The yin to this pairing’s yang is a Brisket Biscuit (brisket slathered in Carolina Gold barbecue, creamy slaw and pickles on a buttermilk biscuit) and a Full-Length Leather Coat (Famous Grouse scotch, Yellow Chartreuse liquor, Bauchant, amaro rosso #5 and Dopo Teatro vermouth).

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

The menu also includes harissa smoked lamb and hummus, strip steak, kim chi mac-and-cheese, a Pittsburgh wedge salad and desserts such as local strawberry trifle. Gluten-free and vegan options are available.

Hey Babe’s decor is elegant with dark colors, warm woods and large, ornamental windows and moody lighting that gives the room a soft glow.

It’s a triumphant return to form for the space, which once housed Whitfield, the beloved restaurant chef Beth Zozoula operated from the building when it was known as Ace Hotel. Both entities closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, The Maverick opened under the management of virtual hotel operator Kasa.

Order the crispy eggplant and a hi-ball and enjoy your stay, babe.