Kincaid’s Coffee rolled into the Little Rock food truck scene almost a year ago, however other than a few dabbles in food they have remained very coffee focused. That is all about to change with a new menu and branding that puts the food on par with the coffee selection.
Owner Stephen Kincaid is calling the new focus Pirate Brats, and will focus on tropical themed hotdogs and brats. Despite the new menu and branding Kincaid will keep the coffee brand and will continue to serve the existing menu of coffee out of the truck, so lovers of his coffee have nothing to fear. Also if you are remembering another brand for the coffee truck, yes, this is the third branding for Kincaid’s truck which started life as Cafe 7181.
The brats and dogs are certainly unique for the area. The menu starts by selecting either a brat or a dog, then you get to pick an aioli (called “Lemon, garlic, mayo sauce” here) that comes in mild, spicy, and lava hot options. Next up is an option for a fruit salsa, when we stopped by we had a choice of pineapple, mango, or tropical salad. Kincaid also tells us that he is developing a cilantro tomato based relish to add to the options.
Finally you can wrap it up with some standard mustard, ketchup, or pickle relish as you desire. You can pick all of the options, or none at all. Completely up to you. So even with the exotic hot dog options you can still go plain jane, although we wouldn’t advise it.
Overall the experience was something unexpected and very enjoyable. Despite all the amazing hot dog trucks like Hot Rod Wieners and Green Cart Deli, Pirate Brats manages to stand apart thanks to the unique taste. The aioli adds a bit of unexpected creaminess to the overall experience, and the salsa adds an interesting melding of flavors.
Don’t let the spice level worry you either. The spicy uses jalapeno peppers while the lava hot uses habanero peppers. We went for the spicy version and honestly each bite left us wishing we picked the hotter as the aioli and fruit salsa (we picked mango) really cooled things down.
Pirate Brats is trying to focus on as many local ingredients as possible as well. The hot dogs are being sourced from Hillcrest Artisan Meats, while the brats are being made by a combination of Freckle Face Farms and Whole Harvest Farms. Kincaid is also working with Arkansas Fresh Bakery to produce a Hawaiian bread hot dog bun.
For breakfast options Kincaid is adding a breakfast brat that is available in either sausage or chorizo form. Either versions can be topped with all of the normal options.
Joining the brats and hot dogs is a side option for “Black Pearl” potato salad. This is based on Kincaid’s mother’s recipe that is a mustard, miracle whip, and hard boiled egg based potato salad. The black pearls come from poppy seeds and add a bit of contrast to the overall cup of potato salad.
Kincaid also retooled his smoothie options to reflect the tropical themes. Most of these are just a change from their previous, but it is the little things like this keep the transition on theme. Each order also comes with a white saltine cracker, for your parrot.
Kincaid says there are still a few changes remaining. He is working on a wrap for the truck which will be pirate ship themed along with some overall branding for the Pirate Brats. He will keep Kincaid’s Coffee as a brand, something that has grown with the addition of his own special roast and products such as his coffee scented bath soap.
If you are looking to give PirateBrats/Kincaid’s coffee a try, they will be setup and selling brats with us tomorrow in Bryant as a part of our monthly food truck meet from 4:30-8.
