From the beginning, brothers Branden and Chad Miller and Chad's wife, Carissa, wanted to pair their beers at Black Shirt Brewing with food. A server for four years at Duo, Branden made sure to include plans for a kitchen inside the final design of the brewery they opened at 3719 Walnut Street in October 2012.
Since then, though, they haven't had time to finish off the kitchen space, much less use it for any actual cooking. But that could change if two of Branden's friends -- Dan Lasiy and Bo Porytko, one a former co-worker at Duo -- are able to open Rebel, a restaurant that would be located inside the RiNo brewery.
See also: Black Shirt Brewing adds beer canning line as part of major expansion
The two -- longtime buds who have cooked for actors, football players and on food trucks, and who were living in New York until recently -- are now putting together plans for a small place that could open as soon as late March, serving seasonally inspired, American-inspired tapas designed to pair with Black Shirt's beers.
"The emphasis is on small plates and bites designed to pair specifically with BSB beers. We want you to enjoy shared plates while drinking good beer, allowing you to try a number of different items, and create an atmosphere that encourages conversation between friends," they say on their Kickstarter page.
Lasiy and Porytko were able to successfully raise $25,000 through that campaign (although they can add to that number, since it doesn't wrap up until Friday), which they will use to buy all the kitchen equipment, plates and silverware, and to get the proper licenses -- something that could prove tricky, since the restaurant will be located inside a brewery that doesn't have a license to serve food.
"We have known the BSB crew for the better part of a decade after initially becoming friends through a mutual respect for our passions and many shared interests," they continue. "Most of the time you would find us waxing poetic on the things that inspire us...but sometimes we could also be found grumbling about our frustrations with the night's service and with the limitations of the restaurant industry as a whole. An industry we love but find flaws in. Now we have the chance to do something about it."
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