Heading Outdoors? Here's the Buzz

The male cicadas' droning mating song -- known as chorusing -- may be how most people realize that the insects have arrived. According to Raupp, one cicada's buzzing alone can reach 90 decibels, as loud as a power mower or motorcycle. Put 1,000 of them in a nearby tree, and it won't be long before the noise drives you inside. "I've had conflicting reports about how late the chorusing or singing goes on," Raupp says.

"Some say it goes on late into the night, some suggest it's mostly during the day, when it's warm and the mating's going on. . . . Once the chorusing starts, it's going to go on for a prolonged period of time."

(Coincidently, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders advises that prolonged exposure to any noise above 90 decibels can cause gradual hearing loss.)

A survey of bars and restaurants shows that many with outdoor areas will probably just close the patios or decks if the cicadas become a nuisance, but it's a bit more problematic for businesses where dining alfresco is a major draw. At Sequoia, which has the best outdoor bars at Georgetown's Washington Harbour, "we do expect to be affected," says manager Kris Mason. "We had an estimate that business will slow for about four to six weeks." So what are they going to do about it? "The only real plan is scheduling more staff for cleaning them up in the morning."

There's no indoor area at The Deck, a large patio outside the Savoy Suites Hotel in Glover Park, so the staff came up with a novel idea to try to keep the cicadas at bay. "We're putting birdfeeders all around" the shaded wooden platform, manager Abbie Fekade-Sellassie says. He hopes that birds will then consume the invading insects. If the birds can't do all the work, Fekade-Sellassie says, the Deck will put umbrellas over its tables "in case the cicadas fall from the trees."

"We haven't had any plans because we don't know what the impact's going to be," says Rob Caulon, a manager at Bethesda's Caddies on Cordell sports bar. Caddies has a large patio and second-story balcony that are very popular in the summer -- especially with Montgomery County's indoor smoking ban -- so "we're going to keep them open and clean them up. That's all we can do."

OOH LA LA, MON AMI

Bethesda has no shortage of places to grab a beer after work with friends or colleagues, but there's something classier about sipping a nice Cotes du Rhone or merlot at Mon Ami Gabi (7239 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda; 301-654-1234). The crowd at the French bistro is slightly older, more relaxed and a little better dressed than at some bars nearby, and although the turn-of-the-century decor still has a "new" patina, mahogany walls and a marble-topped bar are just enough of an escape to make you forget about your 9-to-5.

Oh, happy hour's quite a deal, too.

From 5 to 6:30 Monday through Friday, all house wines are half-price -- and that goes for bottles as well as glasses. Unlike some restaurants where there's a house red and a house white, Mon Ami Gabi offers a selection of "own label" Cotes du Rhone, merlot, Beaujolais and chardonnay (with vintages), priced at $3.50 per glass or $14 a bottle.

(If you're curious about what you're drinking, I'm told the restaurant has "an arrangement" with French producer Georges Duboeuf.) There's a special non-house bottle of the week, too, which is usually more expensive, as well as Kir Royale (currant cassis topped with champagne) for $6.50.

A special $5 food menu includes steak sandwiches, onion soup, baked cheese, fish-and-frites sandwiches and hamburgers.

As with many happy hours these days, specials are offered only in the bar area, where there's just not a lot of room. Only 10 stools sit around the curving bar, with a few more first-come, first-served bistro tables and lattice-backed chairs along the walls. Duos and trios tend to find space quicker than larger groups, who seem to linger in the middle of the tiled floor. Still, my friends and I haven't had to stand for long -- many of the people at the bar seem to be waiting for a table in the restaurant or on the large patio (look for the telltale buzzers), or quickly grabbing a drink before heading out to the neighboring Bethesda Row cinema. Patience is indeed a virtue.

One annoyance: Ignore the wine and beer lists painted on decorative mirrors; I was excited about sampling Castelain's Blonde Biere de Garde from Flanders, but the bow-tied bartender told me that they didn't have any of the listed beverages.