Belles of the block

So does Zavino next door, but that does not seem to worry Greg Dodge, one of Zavino's owners. "It's a beautiful space and they're talented people," he said. "I think they'll do well by us and we'll do well by them. The more, the merrier. . . . How can it not be beneficial?"

The block is fully occupied. South of Sansom, besides destinations such as Vintage and Sampan, Jose Garces is preparing to open a bar called Frohmans Wursthaus. Adjacent blocks of Sansom Street are filling, with bars such as Time and Bar; Opa, a forthcoming Greek restaurant; and a Japanese restaurant called Raw - all less than five years old.

But the neighborhood's success has changed its character - and jacked up its rents. "A BYOB can't open in this neighborhood now," Safran said. "It's even expensive for retailers."

Safran said the rent on their space for Barbuzzo is about three times their current rent for Open House, about $15 per square foot under the lease signed in 2002. She hears that others are now paying as much as $75 a square foot.

They are waiting this out, hoping for a sixth success while knowing that their first two leases are coming up in four years, subject to rent increases.

"We're preparing ourselves now for it," Safran says. "I would like to stay here forever."

"If not," Turney says, "we'd like to buy a building nearby."

Take a tour of 13th Street with Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran at www.philly.com/food.

Contact staff writer Michael Klein at mklein@phillynews.com.