The problem with sushi is, by and large, you get what you pay for.

With expense account in hand, anyone can find truly excellent sushi here in the Big Apple.

But below a certain threshold – say, $50 a head – even we sushi snobs give up chasing perfection, settling instead for fish that’s reasonably fresh, for attempts at preparation not so bad as to (in the words of my high school Japanese teacher) “dishonor Japan”.

Which made the discovery of Mizu (29 E. 20th St., between Broadway and Park) particularly exciting. On two occasions in the past week and a half, I put myself at the mercy of Paul, their young, bespectacled, head sushi chef, and ordered ‘omakase’ – an assortment of sushi and sashimi at his discretion – with astoundingly good results.

Though we totaled in at less than $30 a person both times, the arrays of fish included such items as whole Aji, real ‘white tuna’ (from escolar rather than albacore), and translucent raw scallop, all rarely found outside of the most upscale stops. Even the basics – like salmon sashimi, or tuna hand rolls – were prepared expertly enough to distinguish Mizu from the crowd.

Add to that a young, energetic clientele, relatively classy decor, and waits short enough to make even weekend walk-ins a realistic possibility, and you’ve got an up-and-comer doubtless destined for success.

Having learned my lesson from past early calls, I’ll be stopping in often over the next few months, before the rest of you bastards catch on and I need to start lining up reservations weeks in advance.