My wife noted the bisque didn't have any lobster pieces, but thought it was the best she has had.Her opinion of the barbecue sauce with her entree of roasted, dark-meat chicken on the bone wasn't as high.Grilled octopus was listed as another entree choice, but when I ordered it, I was told the kitchen was serving something else instead.The waiter, Eduardo, who is В from Brazil, read from a note, "P-R-A-W-N."The prawn was at least 4 inches long, including the tail and head, and it rested on a generous bed of tasty, small white beans with zucchini pieces and micro herbs.I demolished it, leaving only the beady eyes.I recalled the emaciated, bony, wh*le John Dory fish I ordered at our first $24.07 lunch at Esca a few days earlier.The next day, during my annual physical, my doctor put it succinctly, calling Esca "overrated and overpriced."We had a reservation, but the place was only one-third full.Service was excellent, and I gave Eduardo an 18% tip.Later, we looked over the new TKTS office, where half-price tickets to Broadway shows are available on the day of the performance.Credit cards are accepted now, in contrast to the old, cash-only days.We returned to the bus station along 42nd Street, and I reminisced about my summers as a teen-ager working at D.C.Record City, which specialized in oldies from the Fifties (rock-and-roll 45s) and jazz LPs.We had a wonderful afternoon in a great city.I even remembered to ask for the senior round-trip fare when we board the Manhattan-bound bus in Hackensack ($3.80 v.$8.50).Ca Va Bra*serie, 310 W.44th St., Manhattan; 212-803-4545. royston langdon wiki
