Yasu has quickly become my favorite Japanese restaurant in town. The first time we ate there, my wife and I had the sashimi lunch plate. I was totally blown away by the quality of the hamachi. Absolutely the freshest yellowtail I've had in Phoenix.
Since then, we've eat there several more times for lunch and three times at dinner and every time it's been incredibly good. Just the simple tuna roll is the best I've had in Phoenix also. Super fantastic food.
As for price - any good sushi restaurant is going to be expensive, but we've spent as much or more at lesser quality restaurants like Sakana. Also, $1.50 for soda nowadays is fantastic. And, having Echigo beer is a definite plus.
Yasu has a great atmosphere, though I wish they had a longer sushi bar where you could watch the chefs do their thing. We regularly bring our 11-year-old son who loves sushi and that's no problem. The noise level is acceptable, though expect long waits if you show up on a weekend night without reservations.
If you like Sushi at all, please make your way to Yasu - it's well worth almost any drive. I can't wait to go back!