In my humble opinion, one of the greatest things about eating vegetarian food is that you're not often left uncomfortably full at the end of a meal - which means there's always room for dessert! I have a raging sweet tooth, and I love traveling around New York discovering the best desserts the city has to offer.

Sometimes, those desserts are found in restaurants. I've had a scrumptious olive oil cake at Bar Stuzzichini and an ethereal maple panna cotta at Mia Dona. The giant chocolate mousse-stuffed fortune cookie at Tao is a meal in itself, and the gelato at Otto is worth going out of your way for. Most good restaurants in New York have dedicated pastry chefs, and the quality of the sweets you find in places around town is incredibly high.

But if you're not in the mood for a fancy plated dessert, or if you're simply not in a restaurant at all, the city's innumerable delicious bakeries offer another option. My favorite cupcakery is Billy's Bakery, which offers incredible banana cake, carrot cake, and classic cupcakes. If you're in the mood for something French, try the mini fruit tart at Ceci-Cela - you won't be disappointed. Or grab a chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery, a cookie so massive and rich few people can tackle the whole thing at once. If you're vegan, try the sweets at Babycakes - you won't miss the dairy and eggs one bit.

While the dessert course is not exclusively the privilege of vegetarians, I find that since I tend to eat lighter than my carnivorous friends, I'm almost always up for a sweet treat after dinner. And I just happen to live in a city where there are delectable sweet treats on nearly every corner. How lucky am I?