• Korin

  57 Warren St., nr. W. Broadway 212-587-7021

  Other stores might beat it in terms of size, but Tribeca’s Korin is the city’s greatest secret source of kitchen tools and tableware. Specializing in Japanese gear, the shop stocks hard-to-find items (Urushi lacquered ceramics, from $12; Ion Strong lead-free glasses, from $15 each) alongside dishes, cutlery, and gadgets. Things you never knew you needed include an electric sesame grinder ($37.50) and a full range of mandolin slicers (from $22.50). Professional chefs (Wylie Dufresne, Anita Lo, and Eric Ripert are all regulars) rely on Korin for its array of super knives (prices reach into the thousands). Also, the knife-sharpening makes even the dullest old blades slice like new.

From the 2011 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine