Heretofore there has been no word for purse perch, but we feel pretty good about having combined it into purch: A hook or shelf or otherwise designated resting place for a handbag. These are particularly useful at counter seats in restaurants or bars, which are too elevated to enable diners to remain grabbing distance of their valuables on the floor.

Anyway, who wants to put her purse on the floor?

The original Serious Pie on Virginia has nice fat hooks hanging under the high tables for this purpose. So, we noted the other night, does the new aperitif bar, Artusi. Going them both one better is the fancy setup at Crush, where our waiter slid a little white stool up alongside my white table and white chair. “For your handbag,” she murmured, reinforcing my sense that Crush is, at its heart, really not a Seattle sort of place.

Purse-stools are reportedly all the rage in Europe, and have recently been spied at the blingier restaurants in cities like Miami and Vegas. And yes, they serve a clear purpose for the diner—who this far up the food chain is likely to be carrying a spendy designer handbag. But don’t forget their utility for the restaurateur, who doesn’t want your chain handles grinding up his chair backs any more than he wants your slouch bag tripping his waiters.