Wing Jong-Un
Most of the restaurants participating in Wing Week are producing something new and special for the occasion. That’s not the case at Fifth Quadrant. Instead, their chef is trusting that customers will be sufficiently wowed by what’s already on their appetizer menu: wings covered in either your standard buffalo sauce or a Gochujang Korean BBQ flavor. The good news for this Lompoc Brewing-affiliated spot is that both sets of wings are damn tasty. The buffalo sauce avoids all the mouth-singeing qualities in favor of a tangy, sweet flavor. And even better is the Korean BBQ, which uses a sauce that mixes red chili paste with pears. It’s a surprisingly great combo that helps emphasize the other ingredients, like ginger and garlic. Sometimes you just don’t mess with what works. ROBERT HAM