If you’ve never had the pleasure of taking part in an HHHTA Walking Food Tour, you’ve been missing out! This year a group of troopers (it was a cold, very damp, and windy October day) set out on a packed bus to discover what Williamsburg, Brooklyn had to offer. Upon arriving in Williamsburg, we met up with our guides and were divided into two enthusiastic groups ready to learn about Williamsburg and discover some culinary delights. We weren’t disappointed.

Have you ever had pierogies? Served hot from Northside Bakery, these Polish treats were amazing--warm, stuffed with cheese and sauteed in butter and minced onion, they got us off to a delicious start. At Oasis Falafel we stopped for hands down the best falafel I’ve ever had-- and that seemed to be the general consensus of everyone that sampled. The Dumpling House served up a sampling of delicious chicken, pork and vegetable dumplings to the group, and Mast Chocolate did a brisk business with their amazing salted chocolate chip and double chocolate chip cookies as well as their chocolate bars. The scent of chocolate in the air outside (and inside the store) would have been hard to resist even if our guide hadn’t brought us to this stop.

After spending a couple of hours with our guides, we were set free to explore on our own--some of us went to the Gelateria Gentile to have gelato and granitas, then headed over to Toby’s Estate Coffee to warm up and rest with flavored teas and coffees. From there we trekked to Smorgasburg at the East River Park. Held seasonally on Saturdays in East River Park and Sundays in Prospect Park, Smorgasburg is “foodie” heaven. From mac and cheese and spaghetti donuts, to Asian delicacies, Smorgasburg has them. With ramen burgers (I’m going back  just for another one of these), beet burgers, waffle cones with fillings and toppings galore, the food ranges from comfort to exotic with something to please everyone. On our way back to the bus we stopped to do a local wine tasting and boarded pleasantly tired (we clocked over 5 miles of walking) and more than a little “full”.