Top Chef Alum Preeti Mistry Brings Juhu Beach Club to SoMa

34-year-old Preeti Mistry has worked with Traci Des Jardins at Acme Chophouse, as executive chef of Charlie’s Cafe at Google's Mountain View campus and spent five very high-profile weeks in 2009 devoted to Top Chef. So the next probable move is, naturally, the pop-up lunch spot called Juhu Beach Club she's starting next Tuesday at the Garage Cafe in SoMa. The deli/liquor store is normally closed during the day, so Preeti, who lives nearby, has made an agreement with the owner to use his space during the off-hours.

Her focus at the start will be sandwiches with an Indian street food slant (on Acme burger buns), like a smoky black cardamom short rib sandwich with cucumber raita, and handmade samosas that Mistry says are "thinner and crisper than the doughy thick samosas we're used to around here." More specials like dhokla, soups and salads from Gujarat, India, where her parents are from, will make their way onto the menu in the coming months. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. And although Mistry predicts mostly take-out orders, there's room for about 20 people to sit inside the cafe. Now, we'll refer you to the Facebook and Twitter for further updates.