there's a swanky restaurant in atlanta called JCT's kitchen, and their main appetizer has been on at least 2 food network shows
it's called angry mussels, and they are INCREDIBLE. I found a recipe very similar to what they use at JCT's, but they use benson's bacon which is some top notch pork, so a home-made version will never taste just as good as theirs
1lb mussels
1 cup dry white wine
2 tblsp
1″ thick slab of bacon, diced (or equivalent in sliced bacon)
1/2 red onion
3 scallions
1 diced seranno chili
2 cloves garlic
red pepper flakes (optional, set to taste)
cayenne pepper (optional, set to taste)
sourdough bread

first you render the bacon down until it's rather crispy. then remove the bacon, add the butter, and sautee the garlic, red onion, serano and the whites of the scallion in the grease. once everything is about cooked, you can add in your optional spices.

Next, add the white wine and mussels to the mixture and turn the pan on hot. Put the lid on it and let it simmer for ~5 minutes. Put in a deep serving dish and add the bacon and scallions.

At first when I saw the recipe, I thought it would need more liquid than it did, but the mussels release a good amount of juice that mix with the other flavors incredibly well. And of course, the bread is for dipping in the incredible sauce once you are done with the mussels