From empanadas to frittatas, 3 must-eat dishes you should try in Louisville right now

You know that feeling when you need something to eat, like right now, but you don't know what you want, and it's that weird time when it's too late for breakfast and too early for lunch, or you've missed lunch hour but can't wait for dinner?

No, just me?

Kidding, I know we've all been there. The good news is we're not short on choices in Louisville when it comes to good things to eat. But the downside of lots of choices means it can be hard to actually make a decision on what to eat.

And, that’s OK! I'm here to help with three delicious dishes I've had in the last week in that in-between-time of meals. So take your pick. You can't go wrong with any of these dishes from local restaurants that I think are three "of the moment" dishes in Louisville.

BLEB salad at Wiltshire on Main

605 W. Main St., wiltshirepantry.com/wiltshire-on-main-st/; Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Saturday-Sunday

The scene: it's 2 p.m. You're in downtown Louisville, ravenous, and want something that at least waves at being healthy. You have a full afternoon of work still, so it can't take long, either. Enter: Wiltshire on Main.

Just stepping in on a chilly-yet-sunny afternoon, light pouring in the great windows at this cafe, immediately soothed my hungry stomach. Pickings seemed a little slim after the lunch rush, but honestly, you could just about point at anything here and be happy. The amusingly named BLEB salad in the display case was calling my name, made with bacon crumbles, crispy, buttery lettuce, ruby red Campari tomatoes, parmesan shavings, something called "butter croissant croutons," six-minute eggs, and a verjus vinaigrette. Sold. A half portion is available but trust me and go for the whole salad.

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I fell on that salad like it was my first meal in days. Combined, it was magic, but every element was perfect on its own, too. The salty, just-fatty-enough bacon; the fresh crunch of the lettuce; the sweet juicy bite of the little-bigger-than-cherry tomatoes; the mild funk of the parmesan; and holy wow, the buttery, toasty, bliss of those croutons that so help me, were, straight up, bites off a croissant. Yum.

Six-minute eggs are the only way boiled eggs should ever be presented (please, fight me on this) and these were jammy gold the way nature intended.

Marrying all of these little joys was a mysteriously sweet-tart dressing. The secret, I saw, when I checked the placard in the case? Verjus vinaigrette. In all honesty, I had to look that up — "verjus" was vaguely recognizable as the name of a restaurant in Paris that’s been on my list to go to since they opened — and it turns out it's a gentler version of vinegar, one made from the juice of unripe grapes. Often, a vinaigrette can overwhelm a salad, but this one struck the balance just so, with enough tartness to keep things singing, but sweet and mellow enough to let me tear through the salad in a bit of an impolite attack.

Empanadas at Classico Take Out & Empanada

104 S. Preston St., classicotakeoutandempanadas.com; Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Saturday-Sunday

When Clifton/Crescent Hill's beloved Caffe Classico popped up downtown with a take-out empanada shop, I was intrigued. Following them on Instagram, I thought, frequently, that it was past time to get there. I'm now kicking myself for letting it take so long because these flaky, savory little hand pies are nothing short of a dream.

In a bright little shop that's little more than a display case of these beauties, along with the essentials found in any small eatery in Spain or Italy — coffee, sparkling water, cocktails, and housemade bread — owner Tommie Mudd was only too happy to share his love of all things empanada, a small pie with Argentinian heritage.

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Displayed in glossy, golden-brown, neat little rows on wooden boards, all of the pies enticed, but I narrowed it down to a caprese and a prosciutto. Sipping a cortado — an espresso drink with just enough foamed milk — my friend and I lingered, talking all things Spanish food with Tommy (who shares a love of San Sebastian and its small bites at bars with me) while he warmed the house-made pies. Dashing out into the chilly, rainy Louisville morning clutching our to-go boxes, we felt warmed, too, by the conversation.

Then we opened the boxes, I bit into the first empanada, and there probably should have been an orchestra swelling somewhere to appropriately accompany the joy that this bite contained. If there's much better on this earth than a warm pastry pocket delivering melty cheese, basil, and diced tomatoes — wait, there is. As delicious as the Caprese was, the prosciutto empanada with molten cheese was the home run.

"Why did I only get two?" I wondered aloud as the golden flakes shattered with each bite.

Ugly frittata at Gralehaus

1001 Baxter Ave., gralehaus.com; Hours: Everyday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

At home, frittatas are how I use up random bits and bobs of leftovers in the fridge. This sort of crustless quiche is the ultimate delivery mechanism for veggies, cheeses, or meats. At home, though, it's nothing exciting.

At Gralehaus, though, it's almost impossible for me to ever order anything else. They may call it ugly, but to me, it's a thing of beauty, with its rich, sunny eggs hugging crispy hunks of creamy potatoes and sweet, melty slivers of caramelized onions, topped with a cloud of creme fraiche that's showered with bright, fresh chives. Balancing the lush, farm eggs is a tumble of vivid greens tossed in a sharp dressing that cuts through their velvety fat. Vivid watermelon radishes crown it all. Anyone besides me would also enjoy poblano peppers, but (I know, I know) I like it best sans the peppers.

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Perch on a stool at the counter and dig in, washing it down with one of my favorite lattes in town. Add a side of griddled rye bread if you need a little more carb comfort, or bacon, because: bacon.

Tell Dana! Send your restaurant "Dish" to Dana McMahan at thecjdish@gmail.com and follow @bourbonbarbarella on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Must-try dishes in Louisville: Gralehaus, Classico Take Out, Wiltshire