If you enjoy a gorgeous setting when you cook and dine, be prepared to take home at least one goody from Tabula Tua. The store bills itself as a purveyor of "beautiful wares," and that’s something of an understatement. Everything in Tabula is handcrafted, hand-decorated and aesthetically stunning, from the pewter bowls forged in Italy to the silk-covered photo albums to the copper dishes covered with enamel, made with the same techniques typically employed to shape jewelry.

Measuring spoons cast as heart-shaped arrows (they come in the regular gradations as well as a "dash-pinch-smidge" set) and salt-and-pepper shakers with tiny glass figurines perched on them are among the many standout items that will fill any cook or host with longing.

Centerstage Reviewer: Abigail Derecho