Mystery Diner in West Dundee: The Assembly puts together a great burger

The Assembly American Bar & Café has been a staple in Hoffman Estates since the restaurant opened at the corner of Barrington and Hassell roads, just off Interstate 90, in 1978.

Now a second location in West Dundee offers those who love the restaurant – but maybe not the drive – a second option for its famous burgers. The Assembly West Dundee opened this spring at 901 W. Main St. (Route 72), across from Spring Hill Mall.

Anyone who shopped at the West Dundee/Carpentersville mall may remember the location was once a Chili’s Grill & Bar. While it is always sad to see a restaurant close, it is nice to see a local restaurateur move into the spot.

The updated interior and patio no longer say chain restaurant. Where the bar once stood is an open cooking and prep area. The new outdoor seating space includes a covered area with open doorways leading to both an uncovered patio and a patio with a smokeless fire pit.

The highlight of The Assembly menu is its burgers. According to the company website, www.assembly-bar.com, the owners have been using the signature 10-ounce, never-frozen patties and recipes since the Hoffman Estates location opened. Each burger comes with a side of mushroom, onion and sherry wine sauce and a generous portion of sides: french fries, tater tots, potato salad, potato chips or sweet potato fries.

We started with the Fried Pickles ($12.29) as our appetizer. This was no small basket of pickle spears, but a dinner plate filled with dill pickle chips, lightly battered and with a side of homemade ranch dressing.

The Assembly offers a solid appetizer menu in the American diner style, but with a spin. Instead of onion rings, they have Onion Strings ($12.29), and Mozzarella Triangles ($12.29) instead of mozzarella sticks. Why note the difference? Because the appetizers didn’t come out of a freezer, and the difference was instantly noticeable on my taste buds.

For the main course, the three of us all went burger.

You have options for your bun: sesame, butter, pretzel and marble rye bread.

You will notice the kitchen doesn’t automatically put everything on the bun. The pickles, tomato, lettuce and house sauce are delivered on the side, allowing you to decide how much you want of each.

My Parmesan Burger ($18.79) was loaded up with melted Parmesan cheese and garlic sauce. I went with the sweet potato fries. It came out just as I ordered – medium well. And the burgers are very large, as were the sides, so don’t be surprised if you need a to-go box like I did.

Friend No. 1 chose The Jack Daniels burger with cheddar ($18.39), accentuated by a thick sauce made with the famous whiskey. According to that friend, “It was cooked exactly as I ordered it, medium well, but it didn’t have the sauce on it. No worries, I asked the attentive waiter for some sauce on the side and chose to dip the burger in it. As a side, I went for the potato salad for a change from the typical fries. It was a tasty Southern-style potato salad.”

Friend No. 2 went with the Texas BBQ Burger ($18.39) and the sweet potato fries. Again, the burger incorporates some of the restaurant’s famed flavors – namely its homemade barbecue sauce and the onion strings – showing off why the burgers are a draw for the region.

We all want to head back on a day when a thunderstorm isn’t rolling through, so we can sit on the expansive patio. If you haven’t tried either the original Assembly or the new location, we suggest you do.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at the Northwest Herald. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.

Seeking reader suggestions: We welcome readers to share their recommendations of places they would like the Mystery Diner to visit. Email ideas to tips@nwherald.com.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Assembly American Bar & Café

WHERE: 901 W. Main St., West Dundee

PHONE: 847-252-3993

INFORMATION: www.assembly-bar.com