Saucebox Restaurant: Come for the drinks. Stay for the food.

Tropical drinks are either something you really love…or really hate. There’s just no middle ground, due in large part to A) Having a rather tacky bouquet of fruit, flowers, cherries, umbrellas and, in very unfortunate situations, a monkey, arrive as an integral part of your cocktail or B) The lasting pain of mixing rum and fruit juice, again, and again…and again. Get over it.

Saucebox, a virtual altar for those who worship on the altar of the rum and vodka gods, has long been a favorite cocktail stop. With a bound drink menu that could very well injure a toe or two if dropped, it runs for pages and pages with not only exotic nouveau-Tahitian treats like the Halekulani Mai Tai (caution: this proved especially dangerous), Coladas and other drinks served up in goofy glasses, as well as more traditional martinis and mixed drinks that feature their house syrups, fruit blends (raspberry, caperberry) and infused vodkas and liquors. Frilly drinks not your style? The restaurant has recently expanded its wine list to include a number of wines from the region, as well as French, German and Australian wines with an emphasis on lighter white wines that pair well with the spicy, pan-Asian menu.

With its original chef, Chris Israel back in the kitchen, the focus, however, has turned from foofy-fun drinks to a clever, well-executed collection of dishes inspired by Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai cuisines. With signature appetizers like Crispy Sweet Potato Spring Rolls, Squid Satay—or a favorite, the PuPu Platter for two with a collection of appetizers—many of the dishes mingle sweet, spicy and citrus flavors, ready made for light, crisp Sauvignon Blancs or dry Rieslings.

In contrast to its never-ending drink list, Israel keeps his entrees limited to just nine selections, including grill beef and ribs, spicy curries and a trio of seafood dishes. All of the dishes stay within the pan-Asian theme, so if lemongrass, cilantro or lime really aren’t your thing, you may walk away from the table hungry. Those we tasted, however, had amazingly different characteristics, despite a common ancestry—from an extraordinarily rich pork belly dish with sweet Chinese rice wine sauce to light and fragrant curries that all but float off the plate.

A recently expanded dining room (the restaurant used to host most diners in its narrow bar area) makes for a more comfortable and relaxed eating situation—and fewer threats of a Mai Tai…or, er, slightly sauced patron, ending up on your lap.

Before heading off into the night, be sure to try one of the kitchen elixirs, a throat-burning, spine-tingling cordial infused with fruit, herbs or nuts that guaranteed to perk up even the dullest of dinner dates.

• Saucebox Restaurant: 214 Southwest Broadway, Portland, Oregon, 503.241.3393. Don’t miss the roasted salmon with Javanese sauce, sautéed spinach and crispy fried leeks, a signature dish of the restaurant. If you like curry, the Khao Soi is mild and exotic.