Best of 2003: Best Use Of Corn Smut In A Fancy Restaurant

La Diferencia
Boulevard Sanchez Taboada 10611-A
Zona Río, Tijuana
011-526-664-634-3346, 011-526-664-634-7078

One of Mexico's great traditional delicacies is cuitlacoche, a subtle-flavored black "mushroom" that grows on fresh corn ears. (Its English name is the ugly "corn smut." The Spanish word is uglier yet, from the Nahuatl cuitlatl meaning "caca.") Under whatever name, it's delicious. La Diferencia, with its endless menu, features it in seven different preparations, including crêpes with silk-thin batter, a filling of the "mushrooms," and a light glaze of a delicate, slightly piquant green sauce made from puréed chile poblanos with a touch of melted Oaxaca cheese on top.