Daily News from New York, New York • 4

ADVERTISEMENT by Tony Pagano for Restaurant Tour itgr 1 i'lj0jB iLLLLLLB a blend of vanilla-infused vodka, lychee puree, pineapple juice, and sake. To say that she liked it would be the understatement of the year: she loved it! I enjoyed a marvelous drink called Blushing Geisha, made with raspberry-infused vodka, triple sec, and cranberry and lime juices. Takings sips from our drinks and licking our lips in delight, we continued our feast with sweet and crispy Butterfly Shrimp, in an addictive honey-and mayonnaise sauce; and Hawaiian Tar Tar, a great-tasting appetizer of fresh tuna and salmon mixed with avocado, mango and tobiko, topped with toasted pine nuts, and glazed with Chef Darren's special sauce. From left: Dharma (manager), Darren (chef), and staff of Sushi Yawa With the economic downturn we're experiencing right now, everyone is trying to rein in their expenditures (everyone except fat-cat CEO's running billion-dollar financial institutions, that is). Restaurants, too, are victims of the slumping economy, and many are being forced to skimp on quality in order to operate within their budgets.

So, it was with a bit of trepidation that I agreed to accompany my companion for dinner at a sushi place in lower Manhattan called Sushi Yawa. Would this be one of those restaurants forced to compromise on quality to save money? We would soon find out, I said to myself, as we entered inside. We started out with a duo of salads: a Snow Crab Salad with sweet, fresh snow-crab meat in an amazing-tasting kabayaki sauce; and a Lobster Salad of sparkling-fresh lobster meat in a spicy wasabi sauce. If they were skimping on quality, it sure wasn't showing yet. With some delicious food in our stomachs, it was now safe to imbibe a little.

My friend had a Kimono, grilled shitake mushrooms and asparagus, with truffle oil and vanilla salt. "On a scale of one to ten, I give it a twenty," she said enthusiastically. too, became excited once I tasted it. It was absolutely delicious and a definite "must try." Over a delicious slice of green-tea cake topped with vanilla ice cream, we learned from Dharma, the restaurant's manager, that they take quality and customer satisfaction very seriously at Sushi Yawa. Many of the ingredients used at the restaurant are imported from Japan, and those that are not, are obtained through an exclusive, high-end distributor.

But we weren't really surprised to learn this, as we had already tasted the delicious difference quality can make. "I love the duck," said my companion, having first digs at the Crispy Duck Spring Roll. "You can taste the freshness in each and every bite," she said, urging me to dig in. I did, coming up with a forkful of tender and tasty duck meat in a sublime chili-lime fish sauce. No matter what we ordered, it was always fresh, tasty, and beautifully plated.

Our first entree, the Grilled Marinated Black Cod, marinated in miso sauce and honey, looked like a work of art and melted in the mouth, every forkful sending wonderful taste sensations to every corner of our mouths. "Wait till you taste it," said my partner, after trying the Kobe Beef Roll, tender slices of Kobe beef atop DELIVERY: YES mmm WE Jill Jjjjkjy IF iljlii 1 C-n ripjjpl Dl IIC- EvnliieiiiA IWfar for Daily News Readers per ticket to see the Nets tike on some of the bestir Linn i Price $110 Your Price $8230 Lower Level Price $80 Your Price $60 Lower Level Price $76 Your Price $57 Upper Level Price $40 Your Price $30 Upper Level iir 1 I- rJ rJ I I rJ rJ I Use offer code DAILYNEWS Order your tickets online at www.ticketmaster.comnetsdailynews NAME (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY) E-MAIL ADDRESS NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Subject to all laws. Open to U.S.

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Box 3308, GP0, New York, NY 1 01 1 6 or enter online at www.nydailynews.comcontests. Entries must be received no later than 5 p.m. (EST) on Friday, March 13, 2009 Check here if you don't wish to receive offers from the Daily News and its promotional partners..