PHOTO COURTESY OF JILLIAN’S RESTAURANT

(Per Your Recommendation is a semi-regular column about the eateries you hold dear. From swanky spots and roadside diners to neighborhood gems and gotta-try food trucks, I want to taste everything the Pittsburgh region has to offer. Pub grub, ethnic cuisine, fine dining, takeout — it’s all “fare” game. Please email your suggestions to kgraver@pittsburghmagazine.com.)

You can find hot potatoes all over this town, but the fries at Jillian’s Restaurant in New Kensington are fire.

Thin, triple-cooked and seasoned just right, they have a crispy exterior, pillowy goodness within and came highly recommended by trusted friends and family members in nearby Plum.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JILLIAN’S RESTAURANT

I suggest pairing them with a burger, of course. On Wednesday nights, Jillian’s offers a 21-day, dry-aged beef patty with special sauce, American cheese and house-brined pickles on a homemade bun. It’s a painstakingly scratch-made, fast food-style meal you’ll want to savor. Just be sure you make a return trip to try chef Philip Call’s other gourmet offerings.

New Kensington is a blue collar, meat-and-potatoes kind of area, so, in that respect, Jillian’s fits right in. Call, a Navy veteran, earned his chops at Pittsburgh-area hotspots such as Meat & Potatoes, Eleven, Andora and Willow.

His fine dining experience allows him to bring something different to the table each week, from lamb, rainbow trout, baked oysters and tomahawk ribeye to pasture-raised chicken, ricotta gnocchi, Australian Wagyu beef and a butcher’s cut of pork. The duck fat spuds are also to die for if you like your starch a little more upscale.

Guests are welcome from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and can also book a reservation for a monthly prix fixe wine dinner held during off-hours.

The eatery attracts residents and foodies from afar who want mouthwatering fare made with hyper-local ingredients. Jillian’s strictly sources from Pennsylvania purveyors, including Gebhardt’s Wild Foraged, Santa’s Heritage Farm, Pasture Perfect Beef, Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy and COLDCO Farm. Flip the menu over to see a list of growers who supplied your feast.

Call finds interesting ways to use everything that enters his kitchen. Recently, he turned 53 pounds of ramps into kim chi, slaw, steak rub, 40-layer lasagna, chimichurri, sauerkraut and “rampch dressing.” He is a steward of local produce and is on a first-name basis with his farm partners.

Speaking of monikers, the eatery’s named after the chef’s wife, a registered nurse and service industry veteran who grew up in New Ken. Serendipitously, they met at the Freeport Street site as employees of Stella’s Dine-Inn Restaurant. They teamed up and began operating a catering business out of the kitchen. In 2021, they took over the eatery under the name Call for Catering. Last spring they got married and rechristened the space Jillian’s. Their wedding portrait hangs on the wall.

I love culinary-based love stories! This one sounds like it would make a great movie. I am coining the phrase “nom-rom-com.”

My girlfriend and I attended September’s wine soiree that paired Southern Italian vino with courses such as gnocchi Margherita, frutti di mare and dry-aged strip steak. It was a fun, informative evening curated by sommelier Alyssa McGrath of Skurnik Wines.

I’m glad I wore an elastic waistband because, in addition to the apps, sides, entrees and dessert, I ate my weight in focaccia bread that Jillian bakes fresh daily. She worked at DiAnoia’s Eatery in the Strip, so she knows how it’s done.

If you’d rather oink out in the privacy of your own home, Jillian’s offers family-style takeout meals every Wednesday and Thursday. Options are meatloaf or roasted chicken, plus a potato, vegetable, mixed greens and house focaccia for $55.

As much as I love scarfing down high-end food in my pajamas at midnight, I’d prefer to eat Jillian’s food at Jillian’s.

The place is pretty much an extension of the Calls’ home. In addition to the cozy dining room, there’s a bar where you can sit and sip a signature cocktail or a beer made by Vandergrift-based Allusion Brewing Co. The adjacent lounge has couches and a coffee table filled with books and diversions, including a Scrabble board given to the couple as a wedding gift.

In a recent Instagram post, Jillian shared her memories of playing the game over snacks at her grandparents’ house.

“The little things that are the big things,” she said. “I hope you feel that kind of love when you’re here, enjoying a meal and maybe even playing a bit of Scrabble in the lounge.”

Jillian’s Restaurant is located at 400 Freeport St. in New Kensington. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.