Mango Mojito!

Summer and Mango Mojitos go together like Texas and chainsaw massacres.

Delicious.

BOUILLABAISSE

Anyone looking to find a worthwhile contribution of the French into the cuisine of the world need to look no further than bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse is a fish stew with its origins estimated to be from the Provencal port town of Marseille.

It is believed that bouillabaisse began as a "fisherman's stew," in which fishermen collected the bonier fish and small shellfish that usually got caught up in their nets after they'd returned from a day at sea. Knowing that the restaurants preferred more expensive items and that these could not be sold, they threw them all in a pot with herbs and made stew.

Every culture seems to have their own version of bouillabaisse. The Greeks claim to have originated what we now celebrate as a French culinary creation when they settled in Marseille around 600 BC. The Italians also have cioppino, or more comparatively, brodecto de li dicti pisci. The people of Marseille even lay claim that this soup was served to Venus' lover Vulcan so that she could step out with Mars. But what gives bouillabaisse it's French definition is the inclusion of Provencal herbs. While you may find many different variations of bouillabaisse throughout Provence, the most notable herbs used are garlic, basil, bay leaf, orange peel, fennel, and sometimes even Pernod. But almost all versions include saffron.

At blu seafood and bar, Chef Tim Lyons loves bouillabaisse. He was trained by his brother-in-law, Roland Gaujac of Roland's Place and 1796 House in Vermont, who himself is a product of Lyon, France. After a six-year stint in Key West at Louie's Backyard, Tim's love for French cooking methods and Caribbean flavors and ingredients were a natural marriage.

One of the products of that marriage is the Green Curry Bouillabaisse on the menu at blu seafood and bar. Keeping fast to the traditions that created bouillabaisse, Tim introduces some of the ingredients that are abundant in the Caribbean to produce a bowlful of flavor that requires no passport. Those looking for a profound evolution from the stew comprised of lesser cuts and smaller shellfish would be impressed at how far bouillabaisse has come. Chef Lyons combines PEI mussels, fresh-caught shrimp, littleneck clams, and our fresh catch of the day with green curry paste, lemongrass, cilantro, garlic, shallots and oil, then tops the dish with fried Udon noodles. The result speaks for itself.

But don't take my word on it. Come on in tonight and try yourself a bowl. You won't be disappointed.