Jonathan Gold Talks Up Ugly Delicious in El Coraloense Review | Eater LA

"At the Nayarit-Sinaloan restaurant in Bell Gardens, I call the aguachile the epitome of “ugly delicious”: the marinade — murky and tinged brown with soy sauce — leaves the raw shrimp looking like pale, wrinkly lobes that might be mistaken for larval insects or forgotten pig glands, yet Curie’s extra time in the marinade makes those withered-looking shrouds of flesh 'pop!' with garlic and heat, a rush of juice, and an emphatic flavor you don’t usually get from finer-looking, mushier takes; it’s the star of the show in any of the five versions, and I favor the salty, spicy, slightly smoky ahogados while saving the incendiary 911 (HOT!) for later. I also recommend the changito tostada, Luna de Miel seafood cocktail, and taco a la diabla, though the restaurant’s take on the famous pescado zarandeado — made with tilapia instead of snook — isn’t quite up to speed; Curie also seems to use a disconcerting amount of imitation crab and abalone, but they are clearly labeled on the menu and easy to avoid." - Crystal Coser