Little Rock officially welcomed of the highly-anticipated food truck, Excaliburger, at the end of 2015. This truck, brought to us by owner Kyle Pounders, specializes in a burger that was nearly 6 years in the making. Pounders is very particular about his product, and it’s apparent that he did not want to present his food and his brand to the public until he was absolutely sure it was everything he expected it to be. That’s true even today. While he’s officially debuted his truck on the streets of Little Rock, he’s only slowly introduced regular hours and made scheduled appearances around town. He’s taking things gradually…making sure what he’s producing is up to snuff. But as a few more opportunities to find the truck have arisen, you should be able to flag down Excaliburger fairly easily with just a bit of planning. And here’s why you need to get over and see him…
So I’ll let you in on a little secret. If you really want a unique experience from Excaliburger, there’s a top secret code (a password, if you will) that you’ll need to score a truly outstanding off-menu item. When you whisper, “X THE BUN” to the guy taking your order at the truck, they’ll swap out the regular hamburger bun for two grilled cheese sandwiches. You heard me right. GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH BURGER BUNS. Why? Because this is America…the land of the free. This is the burger our forefathers fought for. This burger is your God-given right.
Now…two grilled cheese sandwiches on either side of a burger probably sounds a bit excessive. And in truth, I was slightly concerned the concept would be a complete mess…a bulky, greasy gut bomb that was more spectacle than anything else. Luckily, this special menu item is anything but excessive. It’s actually a beautifully done piece of work.
The bread is thin and pressed, making each grilled cheese half much more manageable and hardly thicker than an average burger bun. It’s gently toasted and filled with gooey cheese. Again, the cheese here is a compliment, not a detriment. Well played, Pounders. I’m sold.
Then there’s the glorious burger insides. Listen to me, folks. This is a seriously legit burger. It may have taken years to perfect, but whatever thought, planning, and scheming took place to pull this beauty together definitely paid off. The results are marvelous.
There’s two thin 2 oz. patties on this thing, using high-quality Creekstone beef. They’re perfectly seasoned and get a nice char around the edges. Melted cheese, caramelized onions, Romaine lettuce, dill pickle, and red tomato join the party. But I’m telling you…the secret sauce will haunt your dreams. It’s just so damn good. It’s creamy, tangy, and slightly smokey. It drips and runs down the sides of the burger like a beautiful pink waterfall of flavor. Grab a few napkins, too…you’ll probably need them.
Pounders once called this burger, “a classic burger with very high quality ingredients and an insanely high amount of attention to detail.” He continued, “Every single detail of the burger has been and continues to be scrutinized heavily. I’m never happy with it. There is always more to improve and more to learn. I’m a one trick pony at this point and plan to remain that way for some time. Burgers…done well.” After eating an Excaliburger, I’ve come to see that Pounders vision and philosophy are more than just words…he’s actually put these into practice. And he’s got a mighty fine burger to show for it.
Get one over there. “X the bun.” You will not regret this decision. Pounders says he doesn’t plan on putting the grilled cheese burger on the menu, so it will remain a secret menu item…which is really so secret any more.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Currently they’re doing two appearances per week. One of them will be every Wednesday, downtown in the parking garage at the corner of 6th and Spring.
RIP Damgoode Pies
November 20, 2023
