The Dishes and Drinks That Make Eem Portland’s New Favorite Escape | Eater Portland

"At the space once home to Ray on Williams, I've seen lines curl around the building as throngs of tourists and Portlanders cheerfully wait for smoky hunks of pork and beef, fragrant curries and sauces, and captivating cocktails served in clamshell or blowfish glassware. This is Eem, the triple threat from Thai restaurateur Earl Ninsom, pitmaster Matt Vicedomini, and master bartender Eric Nelson, and it's a certifiable hit—none of the three will take credit: Vicedomini credits Ninsom as the brains, Ninsom shrugs it off, and Nelson is happily behind the bar. The restaurant and bar feel like a party every night, with “vacationers” wrapping chunks of pork in lettuce and taking photos; the bar adds playful presentation so drinkers and non-drinkers alike feel part of the celebration, and Nelson—sober for five years—put special care into non-alcoholic “clear headed” drinks like the Ghost Dance (mango puree, lemon juice, plum bitters and a bitter Italian soda) that looks sweet but tastes bitter. Cocktails range from the team-designed Natural Wine (Singani, Avèze gentian liqueur, lemongrass-coconut cream, carrot juice and a lime-leaf tincture) to Nelson’s Joan Wilder (a ginger–Midori-like sour with overproof gin and egg white) and embody his “take fun seriously” philosophy. On the food side, Vicedomini’s pork steak—rubbed with salt and pepper, smoked 4–6 hours at 225–275°F, then seared and brushed with a fish sauce and palm sugar glaze—is served with jeaw and nam prik noom (the latter made with Anaheim pepper); the chopped BBQ fried rice is “hangover eating,” made with overnight-dried rice, properly charred wok flavor, and pickings from the pork steak or brisket; the white curry with brisket burnt ends evolved from the original jungle curry and pairs burnt ends bathed in Golden Mountain, white vinegar and sugar to create a Thai-inspired barbecue sauce; and a lighter tamarind curry with halibut (originally black cod) over snap peas and cabbage feels bright and summery, reflecting Ninsom’s move toward more seafood and lighter fare." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden