THE GREAT OUTDOORS

A light, delicious meal on a cool, elegant patio--what could be better on a summer evening? Here are some recently reviewed restaurants that offer outdoor dining.

Cafe des Artistes (1534 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood, (213) 461-6889). Ignore the smog and you could be in Carmel eating light, snacky, brunchy little things. There’s even a privacy hedge to hold the world away as you listen to music in the garden-like patio adjacent to the bright, tastefully converted old Hollywood house. The cooking is delicate, unpretentious and a little offbeat. Brunch includes cold, perfectly poached vegetables with a hint of anise flavor, barely done slices of potato, tabbouleh spotted with wild rice, ham, chicken breast, and a slightly sticky salmon mousse. There are quite a few pleasant little effects at other meals--a bit of homemade mayonnaise in the tuna sandwich; a creamy, rather sweet quiche; unpretentious homemade strawberry cheesecake with graham crust and creme caramel with a dense, smooth texture. Lunch, Tue.-Fri.; dinner, Thur.-Sat.; Sunday brunch. MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Beer and wine. Parking lot. Dinner for two, food only, $30-$50, brunch for two $25. Mark’s (861 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 652-5252). Right next door to elegant L’Orangerie is Mark’s: a single plain, art gallery-like room that happens to have a nice dining patio. Besides the basics--a good spinach salad, excellent hamburger--the best things on the menu are on the Italian side. The garlicky shrimp wrapped in pancetta and basil are truly irresistible. Rigatoni in garlic and basil, mixed with both fresh and dried tomatoes and oddly welcome pine nuts is flamboyantly exceptional. Have the fine, buttery walnut chocolate pie for dessert. Lunch and dinner, Tue.-Fri.; dinner only, Sat. and Sun. MasterCard and Visa. Beer and wine. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $25-$40.

Mason’s (11500 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 826-5666. Cocktails are back, and the proof is at Mason’s, an institution that is still celebrating the repeal of Prohibition. Snuggle into a sofa, order a sidecar or a Manhattan and help yourself to the delicious pickled vegetables--they’re free in the bar, $5 in the dining room. You have your choice of eating in the small library, the dining room or the patio. Simplicity is the key when ordering at this ‘30s-style restaurant. A salad of charred tuna with arugula is good and simple. The bow-tie pasta with ricotta and sage are memorable, mostly for their simplicity as are the veal chop and the grilled chicken breast. Desserts here are not particularly memorable, but that’s not surprising--back when restaurants looked like this one, everybody understood that liquor was quicker. Lunch and dinner, Mon.-Fri.; dinner only, Sat. MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $55-$120.

Opera (1551 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, (213) 393-9224). Sitting on the patio at Opera is like an ad for the California good life. Men in white pants and women in sandals clink glasses filled with startling concoctions and nibble on hors d’oeuvres. Opera draws upon foods of every land on which the Mediterranean sea has shores. There are Moroccan b’stilla purses, wonderfully crunchy little tidbits wrapped in filo, filled with egg and chicken, and dusted with powdered sugar; Greek dolmades , grape leaves stuffed with lamb, nuts, raisins, and a few grains of couscous; and whole spiced fish, among the best dishes in the house. The grilled lavender chicken is similarly simple and delicious, with crisp skin, moist meat and the faint flavor of lavender. For dessert you might try the restaurant’s interpretation of Opera cake, or almond cake layered with fresh pears and surrounded by an espresso creme anglaise. Lunch, Mon.-Fri.; brunch Sat. and Sun.; dinner, daily. MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $38-$84.

Perche No? (16606 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 783-2920). Here is one of those comfortable white-walled, wooden-chaired bistros that is perfect for good, fresh food on a hot summer night. Perche No?’s patio, which is raised off the street and lined with flower boxes, offers a particularly pleasant view of Ventura Boulevard. Scampi, big fresh shrimp with spicy chopped tomatoes, makes a great appetizer. Good entrees include bucatini carbonara (fat spaghetti-length tubes rich with egg yolk and Parmesan and highlighted with bits of good, chewy pancetta ) and lamb Dijonnaise, a tasty tenderloin on a bed of sauteed arugula with a light mustard sauce. Insalata mista and angel hair pasta with fresh tomato, garlic and basil, and grilled wild mushrooms are all good and fresh. The dense, cheesy, not-too-sweet cheesecake is exceptional. Lunch, Mon.-Fri.; dinner daily. MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Beer and wine. Street parking, valet parking on weekends. Dinner for two, food only, $25-$65.