Industry Types Make a Racket at Cicada

Cicadas are insects known for their infernal racket, a shrill buzzing or whining that occurs after a lengthy dormancy.

Much of the racket at the new restaurant Cicada comes from high-powered movie and music honchos buzzing the room in search of deals and potentially useful contacts. Barely a week after its opening, Cicada is a packed restaurant--the wait at dinner, even on a weeknight, can be up to 45 minutes with reservations.

In charge of the scene are owners Stephanie Haymes, former Le Dome hostess; Jean-Francois Meteigner, former L’Orangerie chef, and longtime Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin. They’ve taken the space that was once Bono’s, then Silvio’s, then Ashley’s, then Caruso’s--one of the unluckiest spaces in town--and opened what they hope will be a new industry hangout. Already the place hosted an American Music Awards party--N.W.A’s Eazy-E swaggered around the place with a posse of mountain-sized bodyguards.

The food hasn’t been as instantly successful. The Mediterranean menu is mostly hearty French cooking (chicken pot au feu , duck cassoulet ) and Italian pasta. But almost everything has some odd, eccentric twist.

A perfectly good romaine and endive salad, loaded with Roquefort, is topped with high-concept potato chips; duck confit eggrolls are curiosities better left uneaten. But Meteigner’s rotisserie chicken is fine and comes with crisp and garlicky roasted potatoes, and at lunch you might get a good lamb sandwich with smoky roasted peppers.

* Cicada, 8478 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 655-5559.