Is This The Best Burger.......Ever?

Is this the home of the best burger in Burlington, in Vermont, in New England, in America?

Fran and I gave up eating red meat (with 2 notable exceptions: bacon and salt pork in my black beans and rice) about two and a half years ago. It wasn't really an ethical or dietary decision. I think it had more to do with being really tired of buying and preparing mediocre meat. And super-high quality prime beef is hard to find at any price. Besides, I really don't have an operator's license for cooking a $30 or $40 piece of meat.

We do eat meat on the rare occasions when we go to a good steak house with our grown children. Now that we are on the road I find myself Googling, "Best whatever in wherever.....".  And that is how we found the Scibec Sizzler at The Shopping Bag on North Street in the Old North End of Burlington, VT.

The Old North End is a neighborhood "in transition" to put it PCly. It is the home of the African Market, Brixton Halal Meat, LLC, alternative physical and mental heath practitioners and The Shopping Bag. From what I've read it is a small New England chain of convenience/grocery/beer and wine/lottery ticket stores.

The North Street outlet is where the locals come for their 40 ouncers, $8.00 pack of smokes, lottery tickets, and the got-to-have-it-now whatever. There is a fresh meat counter in the back.The tiny kitchen to the right of the front door seems to be unique to the North Street Bag. It is the combination of the meat counter and tiny kitchen that draws the multitudes from outside the neighborhood. Check out their Facebook following.

We ignored the online advice to call ahead so Fran and I just drove over.When we got there two local PO-lice were affably discussing the merits of local loitering and open container ordinances with two Citizens, one white and seated on the sidewalk and one black and standing. I went in and ordered two Sizzlers and a large fries at the cash register counter. The clerk wrote the order on a fragment of cardboard from a Marlboro Menthol carton. I was told 25 minutes so I went back out to wait in the car.

The PO-lice and the Citizens were still in amiable discussion though one PO-lice now had his citation book out though he wasn't writing. The suspense was building on both the perp and burger fronts.

Less than 25 minutes later I went back in, paid the counterman $19 and change for two Sizzlers, a large fries and a large Sprite. I left with a heavy bag. As we drove away one PO-lice was still engaged with the two citizens and the other was being engaged by a third local citizen.

So, what's a Scibec Sizzler? According to Chris Ware on Yahoo:

The legend of the Scibec Sizzler is that a local police officer probably named Scibec requested the hamburger made special. At first only the officer got the Scibec Sizzler but people began to notice whenever he would get it and ask for one themselves. Soon people were coming from all over the area asking for the Scibec Sizzler.

Yelp Elite contributer Bailey Z . from La Jolla, CA deconstructs the Sizzler:

"The Sizzler" is a half pound of local ground beef with Montreal spice, two slices each of provolone and American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise on a sesame seed bun. The patty is made in house. It's perfect as is. Don't even try to mess with the ingredients or condiments. The burger itself was perfectly cooked. The bun was toasted on one side and soft and airy to bite into. What amazed me was that it didn't taste or feel greasy, yet the patty was still juicy. The size is monstrous as well so if you can't handle the full half pound, opt for the lesser junior size. All this for the reasonable price of $5.98 including tax. You can't find a better deal for a burger of this quality.
The fries were another must try item here. The extra starch coating kept the fries crunchy on the drive back home. And they still weren't too bad when we chowed down for a late night snack. A word to the wise: Take it from us. A large order is enough for an army platoon.

According to another YELP contributor, the not-so-secret-ingredient in the Sizzler is Montreal steak spice:

Montreal steak seasoning, also known as Montreal steak spice, Canadian steak seasoning or Canadian steak spice is a spice mix used to flavor steak and grilled meats that was based on the pickling dry-rub mix used in preparing Montreal smoked meat.[1]The smoked meat seasoning itself was descended from pickling mixes used in Eastern Europe or Romanian Jewish cuisine. The primary constituents of Montreal steak seasoning including garlic, coriander, black pepper, Cayenne pepper flakes, dill seed, andsalt.[2][3] The spice mix recipe varies slightly among restaurants and manufacturers. (Wikipedia)

Well then, what did we think of The Sizzler. When we got back to Wilbur we realized that one Sizzler would be enough for us so we cut it in half and put the second one in the frig for I-didn't-know-what. Then we ate. The Sizzler was very, very good. The meat was high quality and cooked to just the barest pink in the middle. The toppings and condiments, though numerous and plentiful, were well balanced by the meat. And the toasted, sesame seed bun held its own to the last bite. The secret of the fries will require another trip to North Street.  They stayed crisp until we went to bed--long after other fries would have gone sadly limp. The Sizzler is an incredible layering of flavors in perfect balance. The kid who made it is a nascent artiste. The place where it is made may well be Burger Mecca.

Perhaps, though, the real testament to The Sizzler came the next day, Sunday. We left Burlington to set up camp at Grand Isle on Lake Champlain. Late in the afternoon we got out the second Sizzler and threw it into the microwave to remelt the cheese in order to photograph it. After we took the photos we each took a bite. Then, in a flash, the whole thing was gone. After spending the night in the refrigerator and being zapped in the microwave, The Sizzler was still better than any other burger we have had in decades.

The Shopping Bag has to be one of the best kept hidden gems in Burlington and Vermont. It's my new go-to place for burger cravings.

So, how was the Sizzler. First, it was big. Fran and I split one and put the other away for what purpose we knew not. Second, but really first, it was very, very good. The beef made the difference and though there was a lot of everything, lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese....it all was in balance. Each bite was a complex melding of balanced flavors. And the toasted bun held up to the last bite.

Discovering the secret of the crispy fries will require another trip. They stayed crisp all evening. Only the next morning did they evidence the limpness most fries succumb to after an hour.

Perhaps the final testament to the Sizzler is this: It lay in the refrig all day Sunday while we moved camp up Lake Champlain to Grand Isle.  Late in the afternoon we took out the Sizzler and popped it in the microwave to remelt the cheese for purposes of photographing it. I took my pictures and Fran took her's. Then we ate it. Even a day and 30 miles later The Sizzler could still hold its own against most other freshly cooked burgers.