Gluten-Free Greek @ COLFAX GREEK BISTRO

Whether you have allergies or are just trying to eat less refined carbohydrates? Colfax Greek Bistro has wonderful Gluten-Free options. We have a variety of dinner salads inspired from places around the globe! Our salads are made to order, and always fresh.  Furthermore, the dolmas, a traditional Greek food made of stuffed grape leaves with rice and herbs, are made with also made without wheat.  Our delicious gyro meats (beef, chicken, and authentic lamb with beef)  are roasted on the premises and we would be happy to serve it over rice instead of the traditional pita. Vegetarian & Gluten-free, our falafel, is also wonderful served over rice.

Want to order the culture plate? No problem! It is one of our best sellers, just request a substitution for the pita chips, and we will happily serve it with rice chips instead. If there anything else we can do to accommodate, please let us know. We currently do not have a Gluten-Free beer available, but we have a very nice selection of wines and ciders. Our selection includes two traditional Greek wines.

Come and see us! 

COLFAX GREEK BISTRO has great food and we are more than happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions to the best of our ability. 

Open Thursday-Sunday

Thursday 12-8

Friday & Saturday 12-9 

       LIVE MUSIC 7-9pm,

both FRIDAY AND SATURDAY nights

Sunday 2-8

What do Colfax and Greece have in common?

A rich history, 
great food, 
and gold!!!

While Colfax, California may not be as old as Ancient Greece. By California standards, it's old! Long before the railroad and gold rush, the Colfax area was inhabited by the Mikwok & Maidu indian tribes. As Colfax developed it was known by many names including Alder Grove in the mid-19th century, and later Illinois-town. It got its current name after Schuler Colfax during the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad. He later became vice-president.

Colfax, CA became a hot spot during the California Gold Rush and remains easily accessible by train to this day. The current down strip burned several times; however, the good construction of brick walls kept the from burning entirely to the ground. The roofs now protected by sod.

Colfax Greek Bistro is located in the Historic Soda Fountain Building (where even Elenor Roosevelt visited for a soda!). During 1950's, the building housed the local pharmacy, which you can see by how it looks today. Colfax Greek Bistro feels that we have a piece of California history, doing our best to preserve the space's historical value.  The original red lettering inside
has been left untouched, and our kitchen still has a trap door used during the Gold Rush.



Long before gold was discovered in Colfax, CA. The Greeks and many other earlier civilizations equated gold their rulers and gods and even before it became money, people held gold at a high value. The Greeks mined for gold as early as 550 B.C. Both Plato and Aristotle wrote about gold and came up with theories of it origin. This all may seem like ancient history, but did you know?? The Greek struck gold again! This nugget was discovered in 2006.

If you love history, and great food....

Come join us at COLFAX GREEK BISTRO, proudly serving tradional Greek fare.

We have house roasted gyros, (like a Greek burrito!), homemade tzatziki sauce, and delicious vegetarian items such as falafel and hummus, as well as a variety of fresh salads.

Also, please join us for an amazing night of  International Dancing!! 

Roy Butler, of Loomis brings the FUN with Greek music and dancing.

Last Friday of every month @ COLFAX GREEK BISTRO. 

7-9pm

Pizza?? At a Greek Restuarant??

YES!

Here at Colfax Greek Bistro, there is something for everyone! 

Is someone in your party unfamiliar with Greek food? 

We offer a variety of options for even the pickiest eater. 

One of our customer favorites is our pita pizzas. 

Our house made pita pizza is a yummy baked Greek pita served with tomato sauce and melted mozzerella cheese. The kids love it! Feeling adventurous? Go GREEK by adding kalamata olives or one of our house roasted gyro meats. YUM! 

We also serve a wonderful Greek Pizza, pictured above.  Your choice of tzatiziki or hummus serve on top of a warm pita topped with locally purchased cucumber, tomatoes, and diced red onion.     

Colfax Greek Bistro proud to 

SHOP LOCAL. 

Here is owner, Elan Vitkoff, doing her daily shopping. 

Thank you, Sierra Market!

    

Want a great weekend activity? Try a Delicious Gyro!!!

Come to Colfax Greek Bistro and savor a Gyro with a cold beer from our International beer selection.

Colfax is located in the Gold Country and is a good stop midway from Sacramento and Reno as you travel the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Feel the stress lift as you travel from the fog of the valley to sunny Colfax. Colfax Greek Bistro is located in Historic Downtown Colfax which is hidden from the commercial I-80 fast food stops.

You can even board the Amtrak train for a ride to the past as you travel through the pass where many early California Immigrants traveled in search for Gold.



Another blog:
Elan Vitkoff
Facebook: com/elanvitkoff

The fountain of youth is filled with coffee!

GREEK COFFEE THAT IS! 

There is an age old saying, "it must be in the water!!" But it turns out, it's in the coffee. But not just any coffee, Greek coffee. So what's the difference? It's not the actual bean that makes it different; it is the way it is prepared. Greek coffee is boiled and unfiltered unlike American style drip coffee.

Watch below....

Ok, so it's boiled....but how does that help your health? What is it exactly that makes Greek coffee better for you that the average cup o' joe? Well, the fact that it is boiled does make all the difference. By boiling the grounds, extracts significantly more nutrients than filtered coffee. Yep, it is all in the concentration and preparation that it provides the drinker with more protective ingredients such as antioxidants, chlorogenic acid, polyphenols, lipid soluable substances, and multiple other healthy compounds. 

What does this mean?

Greek Coffee can:

-reduce your risk for diabetes

-protect your arteries

-enhance your immunity

Can you believe it? 

Even Dr. Oz says so,

JOIN US FOR TRADITIONAL GREEK COFFEE! 

IT'S GOOD FOR YOU!

What is the Difference between Mediterranean Food and Greek Food?

Good question. I happen to be the right person to answer the question since I was born and raised in the Mediterranean until age 13. I am Bulgarian/Macedonian and Greek Orthodox. In my life there, I have eaten plenty of Falafels, Shawarma, and Hummus. These days I am the Owner of the Colfax Greek Bistro in Colfax, Ca. serving Falafels, Gyros¸ Hummus plus Spanakopita, Dolmas, Baklava and Turkish coffee.

So which of those above are Mediterranean and which are Greek? A good Quiz!

Here is my dictionary with the correct answers to the questions.

Gyros are Greek and the Mediterranean form is Shawarma. The meat, whether beef, lamb, combination of both or chicken is placed on a rotisserie ‘stacked’ horizontally. The Gyros are made with the meats ‘blended’ in the shape of a cone that is placed on a rotisserie.

What about Falafels? They are completely Mediterranean. 

What about Hummus sauce which is made of garbanzo beans? Mediterranean. 

What about the Tzatziki sauce which is homemade at the Colfax Greek Bistro? It is totally Greek. The Mediterranean Shawarma has a slightly different yogurt sauce.

What about Spanakopita? They are Greek and what is interesting is that the Mediterranean equivalent is called Fatayer. Both are triangles filled with spinach and feta cheese but the Spanakopita uses the thin Filo dough and the Fatayer uses regular dough.  

Dolmas are both Greek and Mediterranean. Grape leaves, stuffed with herbed rice. They can be vegetarian or can have seasoned ground meat. Allspice is the favorite spice of the Mediterranean variety. I helped my Mom make them on many occasions which brings sweet memories.

Baklava is both. I am often asked about HOW to SAY it. Is it BAKlava, or BakLAVA? In Arabic (my first language) I learned to call it the latter and to make it more interesting, the word is really BakLAWA.

Finally, Turkish coffee. Customers often ask me, what IS Turkish coffee? I describe it best as ‘Espresso but sweet instead of bitter.” Being the youngest of the family, I was the ‘designated’ Turkish coffee maker when we guests arrived. I have sweet memories of my mother giving me a step stool to be able to reach the stove level. What is Greek coffee? It is more bitter and resembles Espresso in flavor.

Come and enjoy all this good food in Colfax at the Colfax Greek Bistro.

Elan Vitkoff

Owner, Colfax Greek Bistro

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The Wonderful Food of Cyprus

As is apt for its multicultural heritage, Cyprus boasts cuisine to make your mouth water. From Armenians and Syrians to their Greek and Persian rulers, Cyprus has retained a part of each; even the Lebanese, French, Italian and British influences are not lost upon the Cypriot cuisine. The fact that they have integrated the influences into a culture of their own is fascinating to watch for tourists. The country has an excellent climate for fruits and vegetables, and the people know how to enjoy those as well, so whether it is a Moussaka or raw vegetables, the food is always delicious and always fresh.

Cyprus is a land of the plenty. Most households have learnt to produce most of their food requirements themselves. While the main dishes, or even styles of serving, remain the same, Cypriot foods are bound by seasonal availability and their seasonal, or religious, festivals. Visit the country in September and witness the wine tasting festival where there is free wine aplenty, or tour during the New Year festivities when the ‘Vasilopitta’, the special cake for the occasion, is served…perhaps you could be the one to find the coin in your slice of ‘Vasilopitta’, luck will be abound for you for a whole year, or so they say.

Perhaps the most fascinating style of serving in Cyprus is that of the ‘mezze’. The combination of up to thirty dishes served in small saucer-like plates deserves a worthy appetite. The locals are a hospitable people to the extent of being almost too hospitable. When they serve you a ‘mezze’ it is only fair that you taste everything, so even eating is an art; you don’t want to run out of space by eating too much of one thing.

Of course the Cypriots love their meats, when they are eating them. There are religious fasts that prohibit the use of meats in the food, so those fasting eat vegetables practically half the year with different reasons for the fasts. If you prefer vegetarian foods, asking for it is more than likely going to see the request being obliged in most restaurants and taverns. A few of the favorite meat dishes in Cyprus are Dolmades (minced meat and rice stuffed in vine leaves), Tava (meat, herbs and onion stew), Kebabs (spiced and skewered meat pieces roasted over charcoal fire), try those and there still will be plenty you missed!

The local national drink is, of course, coffee. The kafenes, or the coffee houses, in Cyprus continue to be a men only affair though. The farmers go there before and after work to enjoy a cup as they catch up on the village gossip. Women and children are only allowed on special occasions like when a puppet show or another for of entertainment is arranged there for the villagers. Otherwise, women have their ‘sketo’, ‘metrio’ or ‘glyko’ – all forms of coffee with varying quantity of sugar- at home.

Elan Vitkoff

Owner, Colfax Greek Bistro

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