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You want them, don't you? Well, run, don't walk; even though these restaurants currently have truffles on their menus, the season will be over in a matter of weeks -- and all gone by mid-March. Atlanta Brasserie Le Coze Boston Ambrosia on Huntington Chicago Ambria Los Angeles Lavande Miami La Vieille Maison New York Chanterelle Portland The Heathman Restaurant and Bar San Francisco Chez Panisse Seattle Rover's Washington Provence

Black truffles are most commonly found in, and are originally from, the Périgord and Quercy regions of France and the Umbria region of Italy. In the winter of 1994, though, someone found some truffles -- more bitter in taste and less sensual in aroma to the ones from France, but similar in appearance -- that came from Asia, New Zealand, and even Oregon. These "faux truffles" flooded the market, but were never used in the best restaurants -- and true fans were never fooled. In response to these impostors, France, which is extremely proud and possessive of "les truffes," created the Services de la Répression des Fraudes (Fraud Suppression Agency) to regulate the standards of origin, quality, and price of both fresh and canned truffles. The fakes are still on the market, and may even have their uses, but France has certainly not lost its position as producer of the best -- indeed, of the only reputable -- truffles.

As true truffles are only found in certain regions, they, of course, only grow seasonally. The season for black winter truffles, the most popular variety which is generally considered far superior to all others, runs from mid-November through mid-March. The second most popular variety, white truffles, are found in the Piedmont region of Italy from early October through late December.

Since chefs only like to serve the "black diamond" at its best, fresh, they will only be found on restaurant menus for a few more weeks. Truffles are commonly used in sauces, risottos, and pate de foie gras. They also often accompany wild game and poultry, as was the case on a recent menu at New York's Chanterelle, where David Waltuck was offering braised truffled free-range chicken in a truffled chicken broth.

People will always be intrigued by truffles, either for their complex fragrance or because they are harvested in an unusual manner or simply because they're outrageously expensive. Black truffles have even been the subject of numerous books, including Peter Mayle's Anything Considered, a story set in Provence in the which the protagonist loses a briefcase containing the secret to cultivating truffles. Perhaps not an enduring tragedy to those who've never held the earthy scent of truffle in their nostrils -- but a sad story indeed for those, like me, who dream of a return to Périgord and its earthy pleasures.