"Tendon Tempura Carlos Junior Restaurant opens on November 1 in Old Torrance. The restaurant is named for its founder Carlos A. Pinto, a Peruvian-born cook who spent over a decade behind the stoves at Hannosuke in both Tokyo and Torrance. His 40-seat South Bay restaurant will focus on Tokyo-style tempura. The straightforward menu features deep-fried seafood and vegetables served three different ways: a la cart, atop white rice, and alongside hot or chilled soba noodles. The restaurant’s signature edomae tendon rice bowl includes salt-water eel transported from Tokyo, shrimp, and a soft-boiled egg. Pinto’s prized tempura recipe is influenced by the time he spent cooking and living in Japan and employs plenty of eggs for its impressively crispy texture. The restaurant, which serves alcoholic beverages including beer, sake, and shochu, operates daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting November 1." - Cathy Chaplin
