Everyone Around the Table

Larkburger, 8000 E. Belleview Avenue, Greenwood Village.  www.larkburger.com. 303.779.0093

I love a good burger, something I passed on to each of my children. In the same way nachos determine the worth of a restaurant to my husband, burgers are the gold standard for me and the kids. That’s why I was so excited to give Larkburger a try. (They just opened their first Denver location in February joining their Edwards and Boulder spots.)

I was anxious to try Larkburger because of their all-encompassing efforts to keep everything natural: 100% natural ingredients with no preservatives or additives, canola oil that’s recycled into automotive fuel, 100% biodegradable corn-or potato-based containers and utensils, unbleached paper pulp packaging and more. Somehow, eating a big burger, fries and a shake feels a little less sinful when it’s part of an all-natural philosophy.

Over the course of  three visits, with co-workers and then with kids, we tried the Larkburger ($5.75), Truffle Burger ($6.75), Turkey Burger ($6.25) and Tuna Burger ($7.25), regular French fries ($1.95) and the Truffle & Parmesan fries ($2.95), and the chocolate or vanilla Breyer’s shakes, ranging from $3 – $5 depending on size. The Kid’s Meal ($5.75) gives the choice of a little lark, little turkey or grilled cheese with fries and choice of drink. This is about $1 more than the average restaurant but because of the healthier-factor and the freshness, it’s worth it.

Each of the adult burgers we had was really large and what with the sliced tomato, red onion, lettuce leaf and thick patty, it was a major mouthful. The tuna burger was the biggest surprise because it was a tuna steak, not a mish-mashed patty. Tender and delicious with wasabi-ginger sauce and cilantro, it was well worth the $7.25 price. My favorite was the turkey burger and I’m not even a turkey burger fan. With its grilled flavor and surprising moistness, I just couldn’t believe it was, indeed, turkey. Both the Larkburger and the Truffle Burger were very good but, frankly, I liked the turkey and tuna burgers better. The truffle aioli added to the Truffle Burger did take it up a notch in flavor but both lacked that grilled burger taste I love. My burger was too rare for my liking, despite me carefully following their “doneness” chart. In the future, I’ll err on the side of ordering my burger a phase higher.

The fries are match-stick thin and floppy but tasty. For a dollar more, they drizzle them in truffle oil and sprinkle parsley and parmesan cheese over them. Although messier, this version is better. After all that richness, if you can handle it, a small shake, thick as it is, is worth it. The chocolate was especially good.

This won’t be the cheapest burger joint you go to with the kids (it’s part of the new trend for fancy burgers) and you won’t find crayons or lots of eye candy for the kids. The atmosphere is clean and linear and doesn’t encourage lingering meals. But who lingers over a meal with the kids anyway? The food, however, is good, fresh and earnest. And you can feel good about that.

Overall rating: (out of 4 forks)

Messiness factor: (out of 4 napkins)

GUF (Grown Up Fun) rating: Yes, you’d want to go there even without the kids