Best Place to Buy a Blade

When your kitchen knife has lost its zing, or you're ready to upgrade to a better blade, North Beach Cutlery's the place to go. The selection, with prices anywhere from $4 to $140, is downright dazzling, ranging from tiny paring knives to 16-inch slicers. North Beach Cutlery carries top name brands, such as Wusthoff-Trident, F. Dick, Henckels, and Messermeister, which is why many neighborhood chefs can be found shopping here. Owner Antonio Fermo is something of a knife expert, having worked around knives for more than 15 years as an employee at Columbus Cutlery across the street before opening his own shop in 1999. The tiny store, which shares space with a shoe repair shop and has been featured in Savoy magazine, is also a good place to find pocket knives, high-quality cheese slicers, Swiss army knives, and fancy leather carrying cases.