A fine dining hamburger was such a hit, it is now showcased in its own restaurant

Fine dining Larkspur Restaurant in Vail, Colo., first featured the Larkburger in 1999 — a black Angus beef burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and house sauce, cooked to order.

It was such a hit that by 2006 Adam Baker had teamed up with Larkspur’s owner, Thomas Salamunovich, to open the first Larkburger restaurant in nearby Edwards, Colo. There are now 13 of the fast-casual restaurants, including a new one that opened in Overland Park’s Corbin Park, 13611 Metcalf Ave., on April 25. The company also has signed a lease for a location in the 4800 Main building just south of the Country Club Plaza, which is scheduled to open in late 2017.

“(The Larkburger) just took on a life of its own and had a cult following. So it had to get its own restaurant,” said Tony Friel, director of culinary operations and development for Larkburger.

Larkburger’s other made-to-order burgers: the truffle burger with truffle aioli, the portabella burger (a roasted portabella mushroom with griddled onion and house sauce), classic BLT, turkey burger, tuna and chicken burger (with adobo chicken breast, crispy jalapeño and chipotle sauce).

Menu items also include the chopped kale salad (kale, carrot, cucumber, radish, red onion, soybean, cilantro, sesame seed and miso-ginger vinaigrette), truffle and Parmesan french fries (using hand-cut, skin-on russet potatoes), Caesar salad, edamame and black Angus red chili, as well as fresh lemonade, beer, wine and milkshakes using Boulder ice cream. It features Blue Sky beverages, which are sweetened with pure cane sugar, naturally flavored and caffeine-free.

Sauces and dressings are made-from-scratch daily and it marinates its chicken in-house.

Larkburger also strives to have the smallest trash cans in the restaurant business, recycling its napkins, utensils, wraps, cups, bags, boxes and straws. Its fry oil also is recycled and converted into alternative fuel. Its chairs are made from recycled materials and the restaurant walls are clad in reclaimed cypress wood.

Leawood’s new Salon Ami

Salon Ami is now open in Town Center Plaza.

The Aveda lifestyle salon at 5054 W. 119th St., offers haircuts, styling, hair color, hair and scalp treatment, makeup, bridal services and facial waxing. It also has locations in Independence and Lee’s Summit.

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 1:17 PM with the headline "A fine dining hamburger was such a hit, it is now showcased in its own restaurant."