CDXX, A Bayview Neighborhood Spot

CDXX
5800 3rd St., Bayview
Phone: (415) 652-5450
Web: cdxx.co
Status: Open

New Bayview restaurant CDXX is all about warming the heart, down to its name: the Roman numerals signify April 20, 2012, the day co-owners and chefs Fletcher Starkey and Roshani Patel first met. Starkey, a Culinary Institute of America grad who ran the kitchen at the Castro's now-shuttered The Metro before joining Google as a corporate chef, had recently left his job running the tech giant's YouTube cafe; Patel, a Le Cordon Bleu grad, had been cooking for a startup, Gobble. The duo decided to go into the catering business together, and after a couple of successful years running Elevate Cuisine, set out in search of a bigger commercial kitchen. Instead, they lucked into a sizable and affordable space in the Bayview, out of which they're now running both Elevate and CDXX, a casual neighborhood restaurant.

CDXX has been open since November, but Starkey and Patel kept it under the media radar in its initial months, aided by the neighborhood's low foot traffic. "It's pretty barren at the moment," Starkey admits, but cites a wealth of condo development (including the building upstairs from the restaurant) that he hopes will eventually drive more people to the area. "It's definitely up-and-coming."

Since the kitchen is constantly running for their catering business, Starkey and Patel are able to stay open all day on weekdays, kicking off breakfast service at 6 am with breakfast burritos and housemade pastries like cinnamon rolls and their take on a cronut (rolled in cinnamon sugar). The "croughnuts" are available throughout breakfast, lunch, and dinner service (when they're offered as desserts), and Starkey says the restaurant regularly sells out. Jeremiah's Pick, which is roasted down the street, provides the coffee; the duo hopes to add an espresso machine soon.

On the savory side, CDXX offers hearty entrees like steak frites with jalapeño-lime butter, Vietnamese-style ribs, and a coconut curry rice bowl. There are three kinds of burgers, as well as a vegan burger; Starkey, who grew up on an organic farm in Vermont, prides himself on using organic and sustainable produce and grass-fed beef, and the restaurant makes nearly everything (down to the burger buns and sodas) in-house. Brunch offerings include bottomless mimosas, "breakfast nachos" (actually potatoes), and five kinds of eggs Benedict (one of which is inspired by White Castle sliders). Three draft and seven bottled beers from the likes of Speakeasy and Drake's, as well as a handful of low-priced local wines, are offered, and the couple makes soju cocktails like a screwdriver and Cuba Libre. Here's the full menu.

The space is sizable, with room for 90, and Starkey and Patel have tried to meet the neighborhood's needs by showing Niners games and holding other events. They currently close on the early side for dinner, but aspire to eventually extend those hours as well. Hours are Tuesday-Friday, 6 am-8 pm; Saturday, 11:30 am-9 pm; and Sunday, 9 am-3 pm. They're closed on Mondays.

· CDXX [Facebook]
[Photo: Cherylynn N./Yelp]