Rione XIII Chef Planning Summer Dog Pop-Up

Summer Dog, the floating hot dog barge that delivers sausage goodness to the masses on Lakes Union and Washington, is getting it's own pop-up — perhaps the most true definition of a pop-up there is. Bistro Bastardo is the brainchild of Rione XIII chef Brandon Kirksey, a longtime friend of Summer Dog grill master Chris Rice, who currently bartends at Rione. He also has plans to retire to Mexico after this summer, making this the perfect time for Kirksey to jump aboard.

"Hopefully it's the start of something bigger," says Kirksey, who wants to cook a mix of cuisines ranging from Southern Mediterranean to Asian every Monday starting this summer when the weather starts getting nice (June at the earliest). Like the entire concept itself, Kirskey wants his food to be memorable, which to him means intense spices and marinades.

The plan is to cook on Rice's boat at various docked locations, mainly around Lake Union. "People would find out the location a few days ahead of time," says Kirskey about the renegade Bastard Bistro, adding:

I'm going to do a lot of different stuff. It's probably not going to be Italian at all. I know the first one I want to do is Moroccan kebabs. I also thought about doing Korean style, like Korean short ribs and steamed buns. All different kinds of grilled meats come to mind, for sure.

The menu would go into effect when the sun goes down, so around 8 to 10 pm. It'll also be super limited with just a couple of items. Kirksey is thinking one main thing, likely a lamb or chicken skewer, and a vegetarian option. Everything is going to be grilled for the most part. But the interesting thing here is the romantic ambience associated with Bistro Bastardo. Kirksey envisions card tables set up on shore with some tiki lamps to give off a charming dining oasis vibe.

If it's something that takes off, I want to carry it on. I don't know what that next venture would be, but it would be taking Bastardo somewhere else, even if it's doing pop-ups in other restaurants, but I'd like them to be a little more unique.

The cost? Probably about $10 a plate, something like a big skewer on a bed of tabbouleh or something equally substantial.

A Bistro Bastardo Facebook page is on the way for easy tracking of updates.

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