Interstate Kitchen & Bar, 901 W. 10th Ave., 720-479-8829, www.interstaterestaurant.com Scan Interstate Kitchen & Bar’s menu and you may wonder what a watermelon and pistachio salad is doing among the wedge, cobb, and Caesar. While the nine-month-old restaurant specializes in dressing up Midwestern and Southern eats, chef Andre Lobato worked this dish backward. “I’ve always been a big fan of watermelon,” he says. “But how do we get it to fit our concept? We need fat in there.” Enter the house-made cheese curds and chopped pistachios. From there, Lobato added pickled onions—touched with turmeric for color and snap—and a tangle of arugula for bitterness. Gather a perfect bite on your fork and crunch down on the essence of summer.

This article was originally published in 5280 June 2010.
Amanda M. Faison
Amanda M. Faison
Freelance writer Amanda M. Faison spent 20 years at 5280 Magazine, 12 of those as Food Editor.