The Warhol Cafe

The Andy Warhol Museum,
117 Sandusky St., North Side
(412) 237-8339

A lot of things spring to mind when you mention Andy Warhol, and none of them is food. Still, Warhol, that great human quote machine, is reputed to have once said, "I want to invent a new kind of fast food, and I was thinking, what about a waffle thing that had the food on one side and the drink on the other - like ham and Coke• You could eat and drink at the same time."

There's nothing quite that groundbreaking on the Warhol Cafe's menu. But it is full of choice dishes and snacks created by the brilliant chefs from the Big Burrito Restaurant Group, who own Pittsburgh's Mad Mex, Soba, Kaya, Casbah and Umi. So they know their way around eclectic cuisine.

The Cafe is deep beneath the ground floor of the North Shore museum, in a stark, modern room that could easily double as a bomb shelter.

The Warhol certainly can bring the heavy-duty snacks. Witness the sublime snack overload of Kaya's famous spicy Yucatan Hot Bean Dip ($5) with chihuahua cheese and those resoundingly crunchy Kaya chips. Try out Mad Mex's specialty Black Bean Quesadilla ($5) with chihuahua cheese, pineapple and a topping of tropical salsa, which is somehow sweet and down-to-earth simple.

The sandwiches really are a breed apart. The Jerk Chicken Breast Sandwich ($7.50), another favorite with regulars at Kaya, is just spicy enough to put your tastebuds on alert, but won't put them on the warpath. It's served on an onion roll with tropical salsa. The Cuban Sandwich ($8) is a turkey, ham and pork loin sandwich on thick, crunchy bread that is pressed flat and grilled into a steaming hot masterpiece of savory finger food.

Other eccentric menu items include the Sweet and Sour Slaw ($2.50), which somehow incorporates ginger, garlic and rice wine vinegar into this otherwise straightforward side dish. For a more typically Warhol-inspired meal, try the "Famous for 15 Minutes" Roasted Tomato Soup ($3). Despite Andy's well-known fascination with Campbell's cans, this thick, creamy soup tastes like it's made on the spot.

The Warhol Cafe is open from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays.