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Up From the Picnic BlanketA G u i d e t o D i n i n g %u2018 A 1 F r e s c o %u2019 i nBY LUCETTE LAGNADOSummer is that time of year when all of us latent outdoor types begin fidgetting in our closets, apartments, and offices, no longer able to suppress fantasies of finding ourselves a place in the sun.Come July and August, Brooklyn, like the Big Apple in general, starts to resemble a scene out of Heironimous Bosch, teemed with desparate people scurrying out of towering infernos into torrid, crowded streets. Any longing to venture out of that nicely ventilated room is sharply curtailed. Those of us that can, escape to exoticas like Fire Island or tfye Hamptons. The less fortunate among us develop rich fantasy lives populated with flowers, trees and cool blue waters.Sensing this need on the part of New' Yorkers to be outdoors, restaurants all over Brooklyn have added outside eating areas to their main dining rooms. These range from tiny backyards with a couple of tables under an oak tree, to sidewalk cafes that rival those of Paris or Milan to city parks that provide both eating space and entertainment. Here follows an appraisal of several choice eating establishments that provide the opportunity to dine %u201c al fresco.%u201dThe Manhattan skyline has been admired by architects and poets alike, and there is no better spot to gaze at it than from the vantage point of a parasol-covered table at the River Cafe. Located in a cozy corner beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, this former barge offers excellent, if expensive food, in a beautiful, idyllic setting. Honestly, day or night the view rivals that of the Rainbow Room, Windows of the World, or for that matter, the Empire Sate Building. For a less expensive outdoor venture, take a drink from the bar to the cafe's riverside walkway.Sunday is an ideal time to escape the crowds of Montague Street and enjoy their good food and serene surroundings. Brunch can be a sumptuous affair consisting of champagne, Beluga Caviar (S18.50) and Poached Eggs Benedict, or simply an omelette with a glass of orangejuice. Or else come late at night to relax in the cool breeze with espresso and pastry.Also pleasant, if on a less grand scale, is The Waterfront, a small restaurant with a garden in the back, located at 136 Atlantic Avenue. Despite the name, the restaurant overlooks neither ocean, river, nor pond. (The waiter muttered something about a Marlon Brando film.) Whatever connection exists between the two could not be discerned by this author, though admittedly both movie and restaurant are very enjoyable. The food is good, the prices are low, and the atmosphere extremely relaxing.The backyard, shady and neatly enclosed, makes for a haven of privacy and tranquility, and creates the illusion that one is far removed from the noise and bustle of the city. For the time it takes you to nibble on your cheddar cheese omelette and sip your Perrier water, you can indulge in the fantasy that you are seated in the garden of a secluded country manor, complete wit deferrent, soft-spoken waiters, and strains of piano floating from the main house. At night, The Waterfront is especially lovely to sit in, as each table is candlelit with its own bouquet of flowers.The lunch menu is not extraordinary, but the dinner menu includes a variety of interesting seafood dishes like stuffed bass and shrimp scampi, in addition to beef, poultry and veal entrees. The desserts are all homemade, and range from cakes and pastries to chocolate mousse. They are open daily except Monday from 11:30 am until midnight.Similarly, Upstairs At Foffe, though it will not serve food out of doors, has a small area in the back of the restaurant, where restless diners can take their plates and wine glasses and sit under the moonlight. This restaurant, which offers an opulent sampling of classical and gourmet Italian fare, is not as expensive as it%u2019s reputed to be. In fact, the average entree doesn%u2019t cost more than $5 or $6. So go ahead and enjoy your Sliced Breast of Capon with asparagus gratinee, and if the snobbish clientele bothers you, simply walk past them to thecool unpretentious haven outside where you and your friends can sit in the bright red wicker chairs undisturbed except for an occasional breeze or the rustle of leaves in the surrounding potted plants. Foffe%u2019s is open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5 pm to 1 am.Deep in the heart of the most devout Big Apple fan is the longing it would metamorphose into a slightly smaller size, perhaps along the lines of a Florence or Paris. No doubt, this explains the poularity of Montague Street which has, in recent years, begun to resemble a European street with its friendly, leisurely strollers and its chain of sidewalk cafes.If the prospect of sitting outside sipping beer and watching passersby is appealing, get thee over to Capulet%u2019s on Montague,which reproduces indoor the atmosphere of an old English tavern, while outside 20th Century New York City parades before you. The tables are hand-painted with scenes from Romeo and Juliet complete with lines from the play. True to its reputation, Capulet%u2019s is a very friendly place where owner, bartender and customer sit together and imbibe in merry old English complicity.Next door to Capulet%u2019s is a small, nondescript Greek restaurant called Mr.Souvlaki. At first glance, there appears to be nothing special about the place, not even the menu%u2014which has the standard Greek dishes like Souvlaki or moussaka. Still a fondness for Greek cuisine and the low prices made me decide to sample their fare. Seating myself at a table almost touching the one I had just left at Capulet%u2019s, I scanned the menu and opted for the Variety Plate, classified as an appetizer and featuring a combination of typical Greek dips and salads like Homos, Santziki (.cucumbers in sour cream), dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), and Taramosalata, a caviar dip. This %u201c appetizer%u201d turned out to be a large plate with generous portions of each, and a slice of pita bread. Everything was cold and delicious, ideal for the hot, muggy weather, and I noted passersby staringwith envy at the large, attractive platter before me. For $2.25, they offer the best meal in town, and one which is perfectly suited for outdoor eating. Mr. Souvlaki is open from 10:30 in the morning until midnight or one.For dessert and cappucino, go down the block to Lou Michael%u2019s Cafe which is just now adding outdoor eating to their generously windowed restaurant. The cafe; which has just opened, is owned by a former pastry chef who is proud to have the %u201cfreshest, best-looking, most delicious pastry in town.%u201d In effect, the array of fruit-covered cheesecakes, cannolis bursting with cream, and rich, dark Black Forest cake is dazzling to the eye and the tastebuds. One customer, pop singer Jefferson Lee declared the Black Forest cake to be the best anywhere and confided that he came every day for a slice. Lou Michael%u2019s Cafe is opened weekdays from 8 am until midnight, weekends until 3 am.And since we%u2019re discussing open-air restaurants, Piccadeli Cafe on Montague Street is to Brooklyn sidewalk cafes what Woolworth%u2019s is to five-and-dime stores. This well established eatery deserves every bit of its good reputation: its pavillioned outside is among the most pleasant places a Brooklynite could eat. The food, moderately priced and tasty to the palate, gives plenty of reason to come back for more. The menu is lengthy and specials vary every afternoon as well as every night. A complete list of Spanish foods is also available%u2014spiced just right to make any Iberian blooded gourmet homesick. Piccadeli (pick a deli?) also doubles as a delicatessen for those take home orders. They%u2019re open daily from 9 a.m. to midnight.If you can afford neither the caviar at the River Cafe, nor the fettucine at Foffe%u2019s, nor even a single cannoli at Lou Michael%u2019s, do not despair. In the belief that all New Yorkers should have the privilege of enjoying their lunch while basking in the summer sun, the city is providing free entertainment and eating space at BoroughHall Park in front of Borough Hall.Page 12, TH E PHOENIX, July 27,1978