Larkburger is a local burger joint that is doing things differently than most restaurants. Located at the corner of Drake and College, the restaurant is focused on providing natural food and remaining environmentally friendly.

The food is advertised as being made with natural ingredients without preservatives, and many aspects of the restaurant are focused on being environmentally friendly. All of the items you get are compostable, including the food packaging, utensils, cups, and of course, the food. In fact, there aren’t any actual trashcans, just bins where all of your waste goes to be composted. The restaurant is built with wood that has been reused from another building. They claim that their equipment is energy-efficient and use power generated from wind turbines. They also reportedly reuse the canola oil used to cook the fries for automotive fuel. It shows that they, as a company, are really trying to be environmentally friendly, which isn’t usually the main focus of most restaurants.

Inside the restaurant, the interior is very modern and simple looking. The restaurant is a bit small, but it doesn’t feel crowded and has an open feel. Two of the walls are almost entirely windows, which lets in a lot of natural light. The other two walls are built with recycled wooden boards. They’re not dependent on natural light though, as the restaurant is still well lit when the sun goes down. The tables and booths are simple and white, which gives the restaurant a clean look. However, the grills and all of the machines make it very noisy inside. Turn of the century rock was mixing in with the noise from the kitchen.

Because the restaurant is set up in a fast food fashion, there wasn’t really any service. The cashier did their necessary job but wasn’t overly friendly. The food was brought out quickly after I ordered it. I noticed that they had Blue Sky Organic Soda in their soda machines, along side cane sugar Coca-Cola, keeping in line with the whole natural ideology of the restaurant.

I tried the Truffleburger, the Larkburger, a side of Truffle & Parmesan fries and a strawberry shake. The fries were kinda limp, but they weren’t undercooked and the inside was soft. They had a little bit of garlic flavor but had too much salt, which overpowered all of the other flavors. However, the truffle did give the fries a bit of a buttery taste, and there was a slight parmesan taste. There was a green herb added to the fries, but it had no taste so I’m not sure what it was.

The bun of the Truffleburger was flaky and good. The beef was lean and had a nice charbroiled taste with the grilled outside. The truffle sauce was buttery, tangy and rich, but was still light. The tomato was a little firm but bland, and the lettuce wasn’t very remarkable. The red onion gave the burger some spice, and the pickles were crunchy and didn’t have too much of a vinegar taste.

The Larkburger was remarkably similar to the Truffleburger. The sauce of the Larkburger was a little tangy and seemed to have mayonnaise base. There was a bit too much red onion, and the burger didn’t have much of a charbroiled taste, but everything else was the same.

The strawberry shake was kinda thin and seemed diluted, but it tasted like real strawberries. The flavor was really good but the consistency was bad.

Overall, the food is priced at what you’d find gourmet burgers for, but the food is mediocre. The interior is simple and clean, but a bit noisy. I don’t think I’ll return to Larkburger, as I would rather get a cheaper burger of the same quality or a better burger for the same price. If you’re really passionate about environmentally responsible businesses though, Larkburger is a fine place to eat.

Scorecard:
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: 2.5 stars

Total Score:  3 stars

The clean-cut, covert culinary critic and Collegian writer Capelli D’angelo can be reached at blogs@collegian.com or on Twitter at @Capelli_Dangelo. Leave a comment!!

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