Macaroni and cheese with pulled pork

We had dinner at Opus in downtown Salem a couple of weeks ago. My wife had a particularly aggravating day at work that day and wanted to go have a cocktail to try to soothe her nerves. Her first choice was Mercy Tavern, but the options were to sit outside on a cool night or wait forever for a table inside. So we came back down Derby St. and tried to find parking for American Flatbread, but no luck, so Opus was the last-chance-or-go-home choice. Because it’s that time of year again in Our Fair City. But that’s okay, because we liked Opus on our earlier visit.

Things were a lot quieter when we got there than the last time. It was a Monday night, so you might expect that, but a very different vibe than the previous visit. We got seated and had cocktails in hand soon after. Crisis averted.

I ordered the pork belly bao as a starter, and they were excellent. The pork belly was super crispy and obviously came straight out because it was sizziling hot. For my entree, I had this macaroni & cheese with pulled pork. It was quite good, but hoo-boy did it sit in my stomach like a ton of lead. I was still full when I woke up the next morning.

We’ll be avoiding downtown Salem as much as possible until afer Halloween, thank you very much.