Not surprisingly, the immigrant dream is still alive and well in Miami, in this case in the shape of a small diner in a heavily Hispanic neighborhood.Sabores Chilenos (Chilean flavors) is exactly that - the authentic flavors of Chile's home cooking.

The shoe box locale is too modest to be properly called a restaurant, yet it has already expanded twice. There are two display cases filled with imported specialty products and homemade pastries, and wall shelves crammed with even more. Small tables crowd the rest of the space, and at best, there might be 30 seats. But no one seems to mind the close proximity of the next guest, and recently a family of 10 (counting babies and grandmas) was seen squeezing around a table for four. Love thy neighbor.

A board lists the two or three specials of the day and the menu includes a variety of sandwiches (have these explained - you won't be able to tell what they are from their names), pastries and empanadas (85 cents to $3.50) among only a handful of main courses ($4.50 to $7.50). These reflect the Chileans' preference for fish and shellfish.

Chilean cooking has a distinct style, even though it combines Spanish influence with the native Mapuche Indian cooking, which later was influenced by other European cultures, Chile's long coastline makes fish and shellfish important in the diet, and a mild climate and gentle topography contribute an infinite number of vegetables and fruits.

Beef and corn delight

One of the most delicious dishes in Chilean cuisine is the pastel de choclo($4.50), a casserole dish of tender, fresh-ground, creamy corn, served piping hot with either chopped or ground beef. Humitas ($1.75), the traditional dish of the cocina criolla, with its creamy corn mixture cooked in corn husks, suggests an ancient origin. It's a Chilean take on Mexican or Cuban tamales, but the texture is softer and the taste is sweeter, without meat or hot peppers.

Don't miss the machas al Matico ($6.50) a small bowl of razor clams in their juices with chopped onions and cilantro served in all its briny splendor at room temperature. Add more lemon juice to make it sing and some salsa depebre (a hot pepper sauce set at every table) to reach the high notes. Themacha is a type of elongated razor clam with pink meat, firm and tenderly chewy, full of flavor. The whole combination of contrasting flavors and textures is utterly delicious.

Crunchy fried fish

Pescado frito, at $7.50 the most expensive dish on the menu, is a fillet offish heavily coated in a flour and egg mixture. Fried in oil, the coating becomes crunchy while the flesh remains tender. It's served with tasty white rice and ensalada chilena, peeled and sliced tomatoes with thinly sliced onions and a light dressing of lime juice and oil.

Cazuela de vacuno ($7.50) is often a special. It consists of a clear beef broth served with a piece of tender veal shank, calabaza and potato topped with rice. The mixture is delectable, sturdy and light at the same time. A little squeeze of lemon was all it needed.

Empanadas come filled with macha, cheese, minced locos (a type of abalone),chopped meat, chicken, and spinach and ricotta. All are quite good, although the dough was a little tough.

And most of the desserts (80 cents to $2.50), with the exception of some cakes or a variety of meringue confections, are variations on the alfajores theme. These are cookie sandwiches spread with manjar, sweet condensed milkcooked to caramel consistency. The alfajores are then covered in meringue(chilenitos) or dusted with powdered sugar (empolvados). They are perfect with coffee, but order a cafecito cubano - Chilean coffee is Nescafe diluted in hotwater!