Portuguese influence infuses Cafe Zao menu

In the interests of full disclosure, I'll admit I don't know much about Portuguese cuisine. If pressed, I'll admit most of what I know is from my sister-in-law, who visited a friend's Portuguese-American fishing family for Thanksgiving, and pretended she was vegetarian to avoid the murky purple mystery-meat stew.

So I was a little relieved when I saw the menu at Cafe Zao, which obviously caters more to upscale contemporary tastes than those of hearty New Bedford fishermen. Call it pan-Mediterranean fusion with a thick Portuguese accent, if you like. Portugal used to be a big-time naval power with a whole raft of colonies in Asia, Africa and South America, so Cafe Zao's inclusiveness is fitting.

The whole enterprise is an exercise in urbane, ultramodern stylishness -- from the vast windows and dark-blue curtains, to the star chef -- Toni Pais, of Baum Vivant -- to its placement in the front of the O'Reilly Theater, designed by star architect/designer Michael Graves (most famous for those sleek Target teapots).

The server brought out a basket of soft egg bread that we couldn't identify. My companion thought it resembled paska, or Ukrainian Easter bread, albeit a little crustier on the outside.

She also noted that the Zao Salad ($9.95) looked too pretty to eat, with a fresh, colorful array of greens, roasted peppers, tomatoes, hearts of palm and artichokes. That didn't stop her, though. One nice touch: high-quality olives cut into small pieces. Sometimes even good olives can overwhelm the rest of a salad if they're served whole.

The Zao Timbale ($8.50) was a small, rounded tower of crabmeat, avocado, seaweed and tobiko -- the tiny, salty, orange flying fish roe sometimes used in sushi. It's a masterful blend of disparate flavors and textures held together by a sweet mango poppyseed dressing.

Pork Barraida ($12.95) was an unusual entree -- pork tenderloin stuffed with dark, juicy plums and roasted. A Bairada wine and plum jam completed this very sweet, light pork dish.

For dessert, the Blood Orange Sorbet ($6.95) was perfect, although it's actually too much for one person right after a meal. So if you get it, split it. Additional Information:

Cafe Zao

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 5-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 5-10 p.m. Sat.; 4-9 p.m. Sun.

Address: 649 Penn Ave., Downtown

Phone: 412-325-7007

I didn't get to try ...

Portuguese Mussells, steamed with White Porto, Onion, Garlic and Cilantro, seems to have vast potential. The Wild Game Burger of the Day could be interesting, provided the game in question isn't wildebeast, parakeet or basketball.