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Restaurant notes: Barbuzzo gets close; Nicholas looks closed; new chefs at Rittenhouse

Look inside a new restaurant. Or rent out an older one.

  1. The paper came off the front window at Barbuzzo, the Mediterranean from Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran at 110 S. 13th St., and the liquor license is a go. Opening is on track for Sept. 1. The name, by the way, is a combination of the American "bar" with Italian slang for "full belly" (buzzo).

  2. Nicholas Matteo of Nicholas -- which won a two-bell in the fall of 2008 from Craig LaBan -- tells me that it's unlikely that the Pennsport BYOB will reopen after a vacation break. It's the economy. He owns the bricks and hopes to find a new operator.

  3. Lacroix at the Rittenhouse will get new chefs in late October as Jason Cichonski is bowing out to open his own restaurant, as HughE Dillon hinted on Phillymag.com. What you don't know is that his sous chefs will be promoted: Jonathan Cichon -- yes, the stationery barely has to change -- will become executive chef and Adam Lazarick will become executive sous chef. No change in concept.

  4. If you've stopped at Jack's Firehouse in Fairmount over the last 20 years, you've run into Dean Railas behind the bar. This is his last week. Seeking change, he's moving to Lucky 7 at 25th and Aspen Streets, effective Sunday night.