The buzz you hear in Pittsburgh's Cultural District this spring is not from a swarm of Brood X cicadas making their once-every-17-year appearance, but from pleased patrons of the arts who have found a beautiful new restaurant in the O'Reilly Theater complex.

Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette, Post-Gazette Shane McCombs of Squirrel Hill, chef de cuisine at Cafe Zao, stands in the dining room of the new Downtown spot. Click photo for larger image. Cafe Zao Theater Square, 649 Penn Ave., Downtown, 412-325-7007. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; dinner, 5-9 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 5-10 p.m. Saturdays; 4-9 p.m. Sundays. Basics: Stunning modern space serving Mediterranean Cuisine with colonial Portuguese influence. Appetizers: $5.75 (soup) to $7.50; entrees: $21.50 to $32; desserts: $6.50 to $7.25. Well trained waitstaff, noisy at peak periods. Interesting wine list and full bar with stools. Parking in Theater Square garage in the same building. Reservations advised at dinner and accepted at lunch. Wheelchair accessible.

How many times have you heard people say there is no place to eat Downtown on Sunday nights? Until recently, Sunday dinner in the Cultural District would have been limited to Morton's steakhouse on Liberty Avenue or Opus Restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel on Sixth Street. Other establishments open Sunday evenings involve a bit more of a hike: Palomino in the Gateway Center, Nick and Tony's in the U.S. Steel Building (closes at 8 p.m.) and the Original Fish Market in the Westin Hotel.

We have the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to thank for the splendid space now devoted to the new Cafe Zao. The interiors, designed by Mindy Morton, are stunning and sophisticated. The icy blue silk draperies bordered in bitter-chocolate brown that frame the 20-foot-tall windows on two sides of the room set the standard for luxury, which continues in the comfortable brown suede chairs. There are banquettes along one wall facing the bar. There are also tables and chairs behind the bar, which divides the room. Crisply starched white linen covers otherwise unadorned tables. The look is sleek, modern and totally inviting.

The menu is equally modern. The cuisine is Mediterranean fusion with a strong Portuguese bias. Dishes have names from former Portuguese colonies appended to them. The names will remind you of how much territory Portugal had at one time, from Africa to the subcontinent to Asia.

Shrimp Timor ($7.95) is a eye-popping presentation that is as tasty as it is beautiful. Four large shrimp are battered, dipped in coconut and fried. They are individually nested in large Bibb leaves and accompanied by four small bowls of condiments: ginger, peanuts, onions and Hoisin Dipping Sauce. The plate, the size of a platter, was finished with mung sprouts and bunches of watercress to give additional taste dimension and topped with a baby purple orchid blossom for color and eye appeal. Portuguese Cod Macau ($7.95) is an intriguing twist on a spring roll. Sauteed cod with onions, sweet roasted red pepper and enoki mushrooms are wrapped in a rice paper dough (used for spring rolls) and then fried and served with Asian plum sauce and peanuts. This appetizer was also garnished with mung sprouts. Mussels Bulhao Pato ($7.25) were steamed with white port, olive oil, onions and roasted garlic and dusted with minced cilantro. Visually, this appetizer could not compete with the previous two appetizers. The mussels tasted tired or frozen, not fresh.

Salads ($6.25-$7.25) were interesting combinations of greens, vegetables and cheeses but a disappointment to all at our table. The primary complaint was that they were not sufficiently seasoned or dressed. The baby spinach and arugula with bacon and warm raspberry vinaigrette was almost dry. The same was true of the baby romaine and the asparagus with pine nuts, endive and blue cheese. We all asked the waiter for additional dressing and were told that the chef did not want the salads to be overpowered by dressings. He did, however, oblige our request.

Entrees span most of the meat, fish and poultry categories. Quail Portuguese ($23.50) was a big hit in our group. The semi-boneless roasted quail served in a fig and white port sauce was sweet, fruity and unforgettable. Figs are a perfect marriage with quail, and the white port gave the sauce a honey-like taste and texture. The addition of a Portuguese sausage, salpicao, and two sunny-side quail eggs atop the quail made for an amusing presentation but I found them extraneous to the rest of the dish.

Shellfish Goa ($26), a mixture of clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp and crayfish in a mild curry sauce, is a hearty serving that could easily be shared for two lighter entrees. Salmon Paulista is roasted and served on a base of golden tomato sauce, accompanied by risotto and black bean cake. The salmon was moist and well prepared but the risotto was more gummy than necessary and the black bean cake was bland and seemed an inappropriate match for the salmon.

Veal chop ($33) grilled with caramelized onions, sweet red peppers and oyster mushrooms in a tamarind sauce adds an exotic flavor to a popular meat choice. There is one tribute to Pittsburgh on the menu, "Pittsburgh Fettucini" ($21.50), described as a cream sauce finished with ketchup, chipped ham, grilled Portuguese sausage and pecorino and Romano cheese. We all had a good laugh at the idea but that was as far as it went.

All dinner plates are served with the same vegetable assortment: puree of white and sweet potatoes topped by an asparagus spear, steamed yellow squash and zucchini and sauteed red cabbage. This makes an attractive presentation with so many different colors, but I personally find the cabbage an unfortunate combination with grouper or salmon. The bread is a house-made corn bread. This yeast-based bread is dangerously delicious. Served warm with sweet, whipped butter, it is hard not to devour the entire half-loaf before the meal has even begun.

Desserts are $6.50 and are not always the same. We tried the delicious Portuguese Almond cake, which is made without flour and is sweet, heavy and rich. It is delicious. The fresh berry mixture served with creme anglaise in a chocolate cup is also a keeper. The key lime tart suffered from a crust that was too thick and a filling so cold it seemed semi-frozen.

The lunch menu features a number of salads that seem reminiscent of Cafe Zinho, Zao's sister in Shadyside. Goat cheese in phyllo dough with mixed greens and raspberry vinaigrette ($11.50) has always been a Zinho favorite of mine. Zao's version of caprese salad, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, has added grilled chicken ($11.50). I look forward to trying their empanada of seafood with tomato, fennel and onion basil salad ($8.75) or pita pizza with roasted vegetables and cheese ($8.75) on another visit.

Cafe Zao is the inspiration of chef/owner Toni Pais of Baum Vivant and Cafe Zinho. Pais has been providing Pittsburghers with exceptional meals for 12 years and it is easy to understand how he won the Cultural Trust competition to create their new restaurant.

Cafe Zao's chef de cuisine, Shawn McCombs, is a product of our own Pittsburgh Institute of Culinary Arts.

The wine list is filled with affordable treats from Portuguese vineyards. These wines are selected by Pais and are all imported especially for his restaurants in Pittsburgh. The Dom Martinho Alentejo 1998 for $38 is a mouthful of red fruit chocolate flavors. There is a nice selection of California wines as well for $26 to $85 a bottle. Six-ounce glasses of some wines are available for $6.50.

Diners who want to eat prior to a show must arrive at the restaurant two hours before curtain time. The restaurant will remain open after all performances to provide after-theater meals. Reservations are essential. I suggest that you ask for a table in the front of the room as several tables in the rear overlook the garbage cans in the adjacent passageway.