Well, Munch had gone and done it this time. Lasagna, plus a bowl of chili, plus rice pilaf, plus a ham-and-swiss sandwich, plus a little nibble of Reliable Lunch Partner of Munch's (RLPOM) shrimp pasta.

"I'll be impressed," said RLPOM, surveying the preposterously prodigious (prodigiously preposterous? precipitously piscivorous?) spread of foodstuffs, "if you manage to finish all of this."

Bistro to Go is at 415 E. Ohio St., North Side; 412-231-0218. Visit www.bistro-togo.com.

Now wait just a minute here. Was RLPOM questioning Munch's appetite? Had RLPOM learned nothing across the span of our gastro-lationship?

Dismissively, Munch said something to the effect of: "Mrrphrf." This is because Munch's mouth was full of lasagna. But you get the idea.

The scene of this crime of passionate overindulgence was Bistro to Go, the new cafe on the North Side's East Ohio Street. Now, "cafe" supplies the root to the related "cafeteria," but over the years they've come to mean two different things. Bistro to Go represents both ends of this culinary spectrum -- a cafe in that it is small and bright with a furniture mix that appears to have come from The International House of Whimsy, and a cafeteria in that it serves hot, fast food, a la carte.

Nikki Heckman is the brains behind this little slice of epicurean evangelism, offering her bistro for cooking classes and as an after-hours community meeting space. Nothing against Peanutz and The Park House, because Lord knows Munch has blown entire paychecks at both establishments, but East Allegheny needs a few more spots like this if it truly hopes to shed its sticky neighborhood-in-transition label. If you're not getting better, you're getting worse, as the old cliche goes.

So, the food. Relative to other cafeteria-style eateries, Bistro to Go's menu is a delight -- it's not just mashed potatoes and fried chicken. The menu changes daily, and this week, should you have visited the place, you might have chosen from chicken parmesan, florentine lasagna rolls, jambalaya, curry shrimp, kielbasa, ribs, honey-mustard salmon and more, all available in seconds. Sandwiches, all six of 'em, are $3.25 for half, $6.50 for a whole one. Salads (Thai, tuna, chicken, spinach-and-pecan, cranberry chicken and "simple") come in three sizes.

Munch's vegetarian lasagna was gooey, almost like a mac 'n' cheese, executed heartily. It came with a side of vegetarian chili, splashed with stewed tomatoes, corn and about four varieties of beans (not spicy enough for Munch, but things rarely are), plus rice and a warm roll flecked with grated cheese. For customers of lesser ambitions, this would have been enough sustenance, but Munch, whose diet always starts tomorrow, also ordered the "French Suite" sandwich -- maple ham, baby Swiss cheese, raspberry mustard, lettuce and roasted tomatoes on a baguette ($3.25).

Baby Swiss? Is that the kind where the cheese is formula-fed and raised in a box? No, Google says, it's the kind where water is used instead of milk whey. Either whey, good sandwich.

RLPOM's shrimp-and-bow-tie pasta, with strips of gently cooked bell peppers and lots of garlic, was rich, displaying the type of creativity that was evident from a mere glance at the menu. And as a bonus, "they don't skimp on the shrimp," RLPOM said. She thinks she's so funny when she rhymes.

After gazing at the desserts (bread pudding and cheesecake among them), we lunged for the door before we could be overtaken by our sweet tooth(s). We escaped with a bill that came to $26, including two drinks.

The menu is said to include ingredients that are organic and supplied locally, when possible. Personally, Munch is underwhelmed by the whole locavore trend. Ya know what? Sometimes we just want to eat fish that was flown in from Chile and some kangaroo skewers. That's why God made airplanes.

But, hey, if you're worried about your carbon footprint, Bistro to Go is your place. If you like to eat outside, the wisp of a courtyard running along the building will do just fine. And if you want bistro-quality food to go, well, it's right there in the name, isn't it?