By Jane Curran, 06/17/99

CATAUMET - Last year I rediscovered the Upper Cape and vacationed in Pocasset, an easy drive from the Bourne Bridge.

MORE INFORMATION Chart Room Restaurant Kingman Marine off Shore Road, Cataumet. 508-563-5350. Appetizers $2.50-$9.95; lunch $5.25-$7.95; dinner $10.50-$19.95; desserts $2.25-$3.50. [Get directions].

My favorite haunt turned out to be five minutes away from our cottage, the Chart Room Restaurant on Red Brook Harbor in Cataumet.

Here you won't mind waiting for a table: You give your name to the maitre d' and go back outside to sit by the water. Order a drink if you like through a side window (great frozen libations), pull up an Adirondack chair, put your feet up, and savor the view. Boats of every type dot the harbor, which is surrounded by secluded homes. It's a magnificent backdrop for the setting sun.

You may find yourself wanting to spend the entire time outside, but don't forget, you came to eat.

For lunch, our favorite is the fresh lobster roll served on Portuguese bread with huge chunks of lobster, easily enough for two or a take-home bag. A wide variety of sandwiches, salad plates, and quiche are also on the menu.

Good dinner choices are broiled scallops en casserole (a personal favorite), baked stuffed lobster, and broiled swordfish tips en casserole. If you prefer turf over surf, there are lambchops, steaks, a chicken dish of the day, and more. Appetizers include clams casino, shrimp in the rough, mussels, steamers, or stuffed quahogs. For dessert, go for one of the scrumptious homemade pies.

The servers are attentive and friendly, and often we run into friends and relatives that we didn't realize frequented the Chart Room as well.

You can dine inside or on a screened porch with a water view. The place gets busy, so reservations are advisable. By the way, if you'd rather come by sea than by car, dock your boat at the pier.