THREE BUDDIES (529 Baxter St., 706-521-8296, threebuddiesathens.com): Why do I try to go twice to every restaurant I write about? Three Buddies, a newish place that tries to be all things to all people, with a menu that’s also entirely halal, is a perfect example.
The first time I went, on a weekend, was a mess in nearly every way: no fried rice, no chicken tikka masala, no corn ribs Indian-style, no pineapple and no Pineapple Fanta (promised to a child), no naan, no french fries, no grilled chicken on the Caesar salad topped with grilled chicken. It was like the delivery truck had missed its appointment. I settled for a chopped cheese sandwich and grumbled, reserving most of my praise for the luxuriously thick paper napkins. The second time was a different story, with chicken tikka masala now available, served nicely plated with swanky plastic silverware in a bustling environment.
What created the change? My best guess is that not only had the delivery truck shown the second time, but the chef and owner seemed to be present, popping out of the kitchen to check on how folks’ meals were going. What can you expect, if you venture to this place adjoining Wingster? Honestly, shrug emoji. I’m not sure which experience is more characteristic.
The menu is huge, encompassing burgers and wings (probably always available) but also fried fish, a Hawaiian grilled chicken platter, rice bowls, pasta, hummus, refried beans, soft-serve ice cream, pakoras, garlic bread and more. It all speaks of enthusiasm and a desire to provide anything the customer might want, but is it overpromising? The food itself isn’t bad at all. Said tikka masala comes as a combo of chicken breast strips sauced and fanned out over rice and a bowl of slow-cooked meat. It’s not on the level of any of our Indian restaurants, but the curry tastes pretty good. The corn ribs, prepared as you’d expect, are a good snack. The burgers are OK. It’s a nice array of stuff all available in a single restaurant, which still includes some of its predecessor Ponko Chicken’s wall graphics and decor. Maybe a third visit would have swung the pendulum in a determinate direction. Maybe not. The people seem nice. Maybe a back-up plan is a good idea.
Three Buddies is open for lunch and dinner every day from 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
KILWINS (283 E. Broad St., 706-521-8900): Kilwins, as compared to the above, probably only necessitates one visit. A well-oiled corporate machine that demonstrates why people go to chains: predictability. Not every franchise has its customer experience on lockdown, as anyone who’s been to the Eastside Taco Bell can tell you, but this one seems well prepared for football season and the hordes of people downtown at the beginning of the fall semester, when it extends its hours until late at night.
Founded in Petoskey, MI, the store has franchised to many locations, and the ice cream is produced off site, but the franchisees make various candies and chocolate-dipped doodads in-store. Cheerful and friendly almost to a fault, the staff are more than happy to wait on your dillydallying and provide you samples of tons of different flavors, all of which are good. Prices are high, but portions are big, and they make the waffle cones in-store every day. The caramel apples, at least in sample form, have some welcome tartness to them, and they’re softer than you’d expect. It’s a different vibe from Condor Chocolates, on the other side of College Avenue—more midwestern, less adventurous, and to a longtime Athenian the space will always be 283 Bar, but it retails a successfully executed product.
WOWBOOZA (1630 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth, 770-701-4215, @wowbooza): If you’re looking for an adventure, and if you’re already in Duluth for an H Mart visit, it’s well worth a stop at this Palestinian-owned ice cream shop in the bustling Great Wall-anchored shopping center. Booza is a Middle Eastern frozen dessert that incorporates orchid flour and mastic, a plant resin, which give it an Instagrammable stretchy texture, the sweet equivalent of a cheese pull. Setting that aside, the product is lovely, lighter and less sugary than ice cream, with flavors like Arabic coffee and Palestine (olive oil and thyme). The texture is both comparable to gelato and pleasantly novel, stretching when you spoon it up but melting away in your mouth without leaving you dehydrated. The store also offers knafeh, baklava, crepes, lots of Dubai chocolate thingies, and an array of hot and iced drinks. It’s open every day until fairly late at night.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
