Dining options in Elmhurst continued to expand with the recent addition of a new hamburger place and another new spot offering what the owner calls "American comfort food" set to open in February.

The hamburger place, HB Jones, opened earlier this month on the southeast corner of York and Vallette Streets, in a space that still carries signs of the former occupant of the space, Good Earth Market.

But instead of plants, the greenhouse area is filled with tables for customers intent on trying one of the 10-ounce burgers, other sandwiches and side dishes from the extensive menu. A neon sign hung in the space advertises a fictional Jones Air Charter.

"The burgers are central, but it's an eclectic menu built around a fictitious world traveler – HB Jones - so we can come up with food and drinks based on his travels," said owner Anthony Gambino.

Gambino, who said he's been in the restaurant business more than twenty years, also owns Salseria Grill and Cantina in Elmhurst and is involved in several restaurant franchises.

HB Jones burgers run around $12 with a side, according to Gambino. Five ounce versions of most burgers are available for $3 less.

The menu is little more traditional at Kitchen Eatery, the new restaurant set to open in late February on the northwest corner of Route 83 and St. Charles Road. The space was formerly the longtime home of the Kopper Kitchen, but owner Thomas Samatas said the space has been completely redone.

"We gutted the place all the way to the four walls," Samatas said. "It'll be a totally new restaurant."

The menu will include such comfort food staples as meatloaf and pot roast. "Our goal is to take it back to the 1970s, where things were made fresh every day," Samatas said.

Kitchen Eatery will feature breakfast all day as well as lunch and dinner and a late-night menu. Samatas said prices will be comparable to other family restaurants, with an average per person check price of around $10.

Samatas said he and his partners, John Pappas and Chris Conglis who will operate the new restaurant have tried to select materials and equipment that is made in the United States. "Buying American is hard to do, but I've been pleasantly surprised that cost-wise, it's almost the same," Samatas said.