There is certainly no shortage of burger joints looking to re-invent the hamburger experience. Add Burgers and Fries Forever, aka BFF to the list. Nestled near Barrymore’s at 329 Bank street in Ottawa, BFF bill themselves as burgerologists, where you can find all things fresh, local, hand-cut, small batched and halal, with gluten-free and vegan options.

One quick gaze at the menu and you’ll find 14 burgers tarted up with various concoctions. Among them, the Smoke House combines deep-fried jalapeños, an onion ring, cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce. The ‘shroom has garlic aioli, provolone and mushrooms. My personal fav is the Cali with Samurai mayo, spinach, cucumber, avocado puree, and topped with an onion ring.

Don’t like any of these combos? Try the (not so) secret menu on full display on their website. The Quebecois is poutine on a burger. Got a hangover? They have a cure. It’s called, um, The Hangover. A quarter-pound of beef, St. Albert’s cheese curds, a crispy Beefeater onion ring, beef bacon and ketchup, topped with a fried egg. It may be just the cure to make you feel less dreadful. Still don’t fancy any of these ? Stick around. Every month they come up with a ‘Burger of the Week.’ December 2014 features a Spicy Burger, with what looks like a heaping handful of hot peppers.

All this talk about burgers is fine, but for me, the real reason to visit BFF lies in the fries. More specifically, the Elegant Fries. Although drool worthy, I do suggest a name-change for its not-so-macho moniker. Hand-cut, double fried PEI russet potatoes are sprinkled with salt, parmesan and rosemary for an out-of-body mmm mmm goodness experience.

BFF does try to be everything to everyone. Halal grass-fed ground beef sourced from local farmers; produce that isn’t pre-sliced, pre-processed, or bagged; small batch made-from-scratch BBQ sauce; and, food made-to-order is great for people increasingly conscious about their feeding habits. But all this does come at a price. A combo goes for about $15. Quality, freshness, and ‘made with love’ aren’t easy to find these days. So for me, these burgers and fries are worth the price.