"X" is for xcitement at Xunta!

Upon dining at Xunta, no one knew how historical this event was going to be. At press time, Xunta is currently closed. We caught a glimpse and shared in the end of an era. Well, almost. Although it doesn't look like much from the street, Xunta was quite happening on the inside. The underground tapas joint felt like a nice blend of East Village bar and authentic Spanish restaurant. Authentic in that the service was extremely slow, and they provided impressive entertainment of flamenco musicians and dancers. East Village in that there were congregations of post college kids sucking back sangria. Not that we should talk - the 12 of us sucked back a few buckets of beer as well.


The food was at times quite delicious, and other times quite terrible. Shrimp soaked in chili oil and paprika were fantastic (for bread dipping as well as you can see [PIC]. If the place actually existed anymore, the spicy potatoes and manchego with quince jam would also be worth going back for. We could have used a bit more imagination when it came to the tortilla española, rice and grilled dates with bacon. We could have used a live, breathing cook to make the marinated clams and chicken (it was so un-noteworthy I've forgotten what kind) actually edible. We probably ordered way too much, but it's better that than too little. We had to debunk the myth most men are accustomed to. Poor Mike has been abused by spending $75 on dinners with semi-anorexic girls who only order small plates of olives and two green beans (in which he usually has to devour a large burrito afterwards). Not this night, not with the Zupperites.

"X" at Xunta was xcellent fun, with an xceptional crowd. Xtra thanks to Covitzs for organizing!

"W" is for Walkers

Walkers is the type of neighborhood place that won't win any major awards, and you won't want it to. You don't want the creepy old guys at the bar to go away, not even the douche-y banker guys. The setting is so comfortable and worn in, you're happy with the slightly rickety chairs and background banter of the locals at the bar. From first impressions, you might expect simple pub grub, but the menu actually has a bit more than the typical burgers 'n nachos. There's an old school vibe that is as eminent in the staff as it is in the setting. Walkers is an inviting atmosphere... we were there on a pleasant summer evening, but I'm sure there will be return visits to get cozy as the weather gets colder.

We spent the first part of the evening have a lengthy debate on whether our waiter was from the Bronx, Ireland or the South. And we barely had any drinks at this point. Turns out the gregarious fellow was indeed from Atlanta (and the rest of us are absolutely clueless). For the grub, we started with a couple healthy treats - cornmeal crusted oysters and fried calamari (oysters were the best). Entrees ranged from free-range roasted chicken, burgers, and the semi-famous cowboy chili. Again, you're probably going more for the atmosphere than for the food, but nonetheless we are eaters and eatin' we did.

The paper table cloths and crayons were a nice little treat for several of our attention deficit Zupper members. Nick had a field day drawing lovely pictures of bleeding animals and a recent depiction of how he cut open the middle of his nail. Appropriate and lively discussion for dinner you can imagine.


Overall, Walker's is a neighborhood gem that should be appreciated as a good place to go after work, for a late Sunday afternoon meal or really whenever the hell you're thirsty.