Meliora Burger

A few University of Rochester students enjoying some Meliora Burgers in the Meliora Restaurant

The cross section of a Meliora Burger

The Meliora Burger (Mel Burger) is the signature hamburger of The Meliora Restaurant, located in the Frederick Douglass Building on the University of Rochester River Campus.^[1] The burger consists of a half-pound Angus ground beef patty with house-made chipotle mayo, crispy and regular onions, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato. The house-made chipotle mayo is often referred to as "Mel Sauce." Kitchen staff at the Meliora Restaurant report to make between 6 - 7 gallons (approximately 23 - 27 L) of Mel Sauce every week to keep up with demand.^[2] The Mel Burger is also available in a two-patty variety, the "Double Burger," yielding one full pound of Angus beef. ^[3]. According to some, the Mel Sauce recipe was invented by none other than university donor George Eastman during the last years of his life, but this remains unverified.

Early in the 2010 Fall semester, there were complaints that the Mel Sauce had changed for the worse. Students and faculty suspected that the original chefs who had created the sauce left and took the recipe with them out of spite. It was later confirmed by Campus Executive Chef Antonio Pignagrande and Meliora Executive Chef Brian Mattice that that was not the case. The recipe had instead been incorrectly entered into the University recipe storage system. The Mel Sauce has since been restored to its original state. The Meliora Burger is immensely popular amongst the university community and according to Pignagrande, it has "taken on a cult following."^[4]

References

1. ^ "The Meliora Restaurant",
2. ^ "Mel sauce set to return to normal",
3. ^ "Meliora Restaurant Menu", Meliora Restaurant Menu
4. ^ "Mel sauce set to return to normal",

External links

• University of Rochester Official Website