How do I open Cardapio in launcher mode?

First, make sure you don't have the Cardapio applet installed in your panel.

Then, you can open launcher-mode Cardapio in two different ways:

Method 1: Run Cardapio and make it visible:
$ cardapio show

Method 2: Run Cardapio, but don't show it:
$ cardapio hidden

Then you can show/hide Cardapio using Super + Space (in most computers this means Windows Key + Space).

If you are adding Cardapio to your Startup Applications, it's a good idea to use Method 2.