To try and decide each week where and what to eat in and around the basin can be a challenge – there are so many amazing choices. In this feature we’ll dive into dishes that will surely satisfy those hunger pangs and leave you wondering where to go next.

When spring and summer season starts to hit, I tend to get overly excited about fresh greens. Sure, most are available year-round, but there’s something about the warm weather that seems to amplify the freshness. This week’s dish features one of my favorite greens: arugula. I just love the peppery bitterness and the uniqueness it brings to each offering.

With arugula in the name of the dish, you know it’s coming in hot. It’s topped with equal helpings of an unusual trio: dried figs, crumbled blue cheese and butternut squash. It’s accompanied by their house made balsamic vinaigrette and you have the option to add in chicken, shrimp, salmon, steak or avocado. Having loaded up on proteins earlier in the week, I opted for an additional creamy component in the avocado. Plus, I think it just adds to the freshness.

The spicy arugula and sweetness from the fig have a great balance. When the tanginess of the vinaigrette and funk of the blue cheese kick in, it really starts filling up the flavor buckets. And when you get everything together for a single bite, it’s like sensory overload.

The squash is a bit of a wildcard but in the best way possible. It’s slightly warming and sweet, but it’s a completely different sweet from the fig – like fraternal twins split at birth. Speaking of the fig, I’m not sure if I’ve ever ran into the combination of fig and blue cheese before, but I will now.

That combination is just another testament to this salad’s superpower, giving you the option to change up the flavor with each bite. I can’t decide which one was my favorite, so I’ll just say you must try for yourself to find out yours.

FiftyFifty Brewing Company is located at 11197 Brockway Rd., Suite 1 in Truckee. For menu and beer information visit them online at fiftyfiftybrewing.com or reach them by phone at 530-587-2337.