Earl’s, Smaks and other Kansas City hamburgers that almost no one still remembers

Yesterday, when I was writing about the new Fire Burgers restaurant at 240 East Linwood, I remembered that there used to be another burger joint — a famous one — right across the street. It was a tiny diner called Earl’s, and when I moved to Kansas City back in the 1980s, people would tell me how great the sandwiches were.

I’m embarrassed to say that I must have driven by the little restaurant a hundred times and never stopped in. Now I have regrets: Did I miss something really great?