THIS is what will now motivate me to get my pretty ass out of bed Monday mornings.  I am a huge fan of mussels and alliterations, and any excuse to leave the office 30 minutes earlier than I normally would.

Mussel Monday originated (this week) at Fireworks, in Arlington.  Every Monday, the Fireworks menu offers half-priced ($6) pots of mussels.  And, you get a shit ton of mussels with 3 perfectly toasted baguette slices.  This week I went with the Belgian Style Steamed Maine Mussels.  White wine, garlic, a bit of cream, and these crispy potato sticks in your very own cast iron mussel-filled pot.  Sometimes it’s hard to judge how good something actually tastes when you’re working with such a great happy hour deal, but really, these were awesome – no cracked shells, no sand, just perfectly cooked mussels in a light, yet flavorful sauce.  Pair it with a glass of Chard and you are good to go.

Fireworks is great in the warmer months.  There is a huge outdoor seating area that gets packed during happy hour and through dinner.  Also, unrelated to Mussel Monday – they have an awesome pizza lunch special.