tableware

The limited edition Suburbia Red & White Plate is probably not something that you want to eat you dinner off of. The plate is made from blown glass and is finished with both a diamond lathe and a diamond tip engraver to give the finishe product a level of precision that is almost never reserved for something so basic. Each plate measures 18.5 inches in diameter and is handblown by the artist, Anu Pentinnen. Only 20 pieces of the plate will be made. Price: $1,250.

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If you have a nice set of dishes, though luxury consumers tend to prefer basic tableware, you might not want your kids eating off of it, especially if they are very young. Not only could they have an accident, dropping a plate or bowl, but working with a knife and fork that are too large for their small hands can be quite difficult. The Kid's Stuff Complete Dining Set from Alfredo Haberli is kid sized and much more refined than those cartoon-covered plastic dish sets that are often given to children. It includes a plastic tray, porcelain bowl & plate, glass, a four piece flatware set, wooden cutting board and spreader and everything is sized to the proportions of a child, with wide grips that are easy to hold. The cutting board is designed to encourage children to cut up their own food, rather than waiting for an adult to do it for them. Price: $150.

When it comes to high end dining, most consider the food, rather than the tableware. At Berkeley's Chez Panisse, chef/owner Alice Waters worked with Heath Ceramics to design custom place settings. Her reasoning was that since her food was locally sourced, her tableware should be, too. While you can buy the full range of Thomas Keller's tableware, Heath Ceramics has only released a 4-piece set, along with some serving dishes, for home use from their Chez Panisse Collection. The set is available in a neutral almond/ginger color. Price: $146.

Normally "fun" and "bone china" do not go together, since elegant place settings are standard when china is concerned. The Good China, Bad China collection, by Peter MacCann from thorsten van elten, retains the classic look of plain, white china with a simple twist, which would be revealed as the plate was cleared of food during a meal. At the center of each plate is one of the 7 Deadly Sins or 7 Seven Contrary Virtues. Plate pairs are Humility against Pride, Kindness against Envy, Chastity against Lust, Temperance against Anger, Charity against Greed and Diligence against Sloth. Abstinence and Gluttony make up the serving plates. Serving plates aside, half the fun of the meal will be deciding which dinner guests should get which plate. We recommend giving the sins to the guests who have a better sense of humor, so as not to bring down the mood of the party. The plates are £25 per pair and the serving plates are £50.

Eating at Thomas Keller's Yountville restaurant, The French Laundry, is one of the best dining experiences in the world, but is certainly not an everyday one. For the sake of your wallet and your waistline, your best bet is to save a trip out to Napa for special occasions and try to recreate the experience at home with Thomas Keller's line of dinnerware. You can cook up your own gourmet meals, perhaps with the help of the French Laundry Cookbook, or simply add a few presentation points to your favorite chicken and rice dish. The collection was designed by Keller with Bertrand Raynaud, the president of the Raynaud porcelain company, which produces the all-white table and dinnerware. It is named after Fernand Point, certainly one of the most famous and influential French restaurateurs/chefs of the past century. The whole collection, from classic plates to cups and saucers, is available at Gumps. Each piece is beautifully simple, suitable for both casual and formal occasions.

It's hard to say which of the collections from the Seattle-based Rosanna Bowles is the most appealing. I already have the Hot Chocolate set, which is beautiful blue stoneware, decorated with words meaning "chocolate" in four different languages. Hot chocolate is a bit of a seasonal drink, however, so for summer, I prefer the Wine Tasting collection. With drawings, words about wine and bold, block-lettering, each porcelain piece is classy and fun, reflective of the fact that wine drinking doesn't always have to be a serious business. There are appetizer plates ($30), coasters ($15) and a serving tray ($20), all of which are useful for entertaining friends over a glass of your favorite wine and a plate of cheese and crackers. The whole set would also make a great housewarming or wedding gift.