Ways to Watermelon

Where is my rind?

by Ashlea Halpern

The good folks at 1601 have taken an old Spanish favorite and all-Americanized it. Chunks of watermelon are chopped and blended with red-ripe tomatoes, fresh cilantro, garlic and a squeeze of lime. The whole shebang is served cold, and goes smashingly with their Roquefort and grilled peach salad.

Like it raw? Executive chef David Katz's vegetarian take on carpaccio features impossibly thin slices of watermelon and radish on a bed of mixed lettuces. He tops it all with fresh goat cheese (in lieu of the more traditional parm).

Exactly what it sounds like. A fistful of fat, gummy tapioca pearls bobbing around a tall cup of syrupy watermelon tea. It's served hot. It's served cold. It's served with workstations and an Internet connection right at your fingertips. Thank you, owner Kenny Feng. We can now die relatively happy.

When chef Daryl Harmon puts his mitts on this beachy favorite, you know it's gonna make waves. At the ritzy Water Works, the delicate fruit is skinned, seared and doused in aged balsamic vinegar. It's finished with a flecking of red onion, crumbled feta and fresh mint.

Watermelon is one of summer's most awesomely simple treats. Enjoy it in its natural, unfussed-about state � chilled, sliced and stuck on a plate � by request at the Northeast's Holy Land Grill. So sweet. So juicy. Even the Johnniest Johnny Reb would cross the Mason-Dixon to eat it up and spit it out. (Literally.)