Summertime is iced coffee time, and for some, it's when finding good iced coffee takes on the form of a quest. Cold brewed iced coffee (recipe here), with coffee iced cubes thrown in, seems to be the culmination of all the perennial "perfect cup" stories. A handful of spots along Flatbush Avenue in Midwood serve coffee that has been strained from a mixture of cold water and ground beans, and iced coffees aren't offered with coffee iced cubes. Red Horse Cafe in Park Slope uses Barrington Coffee's Vienna Blend, diluted with a little water, to make their cubes. A bucket of coffee ice on hand in a small freezer behind the counter for drinks looks like something out of Superman's bedazzled secret hideaway, matching the laptop-weaned, meditative vibe of the place. The resulting coffee is a flavorful, sharp cup, but one that's not bitter. The ingenuity of coffee ice cubes is that as they melt, they fortify the drink with additional, nonstop flavor. Medium iced coffee is $2.50 for a 16 oz. cup at Red Horse, a moderately good deal considering the epic prices even the crummiest corner delis charge for the stuff these days.
Chicken and tuna salad sandwiches are served, and Red Horse has 2 for 1 wine and beer specials. A wireframe ferris wheel near the register dispenses snack time hard boiled eggs, and the variety of baked goods, quiche, and sandwiches sold are provided by an array of small, local producers like Red Hook's Baked, and San Antonio in Astoria.
Red Horse Cafe
497 6th Avenue
Brooklyn
(718) 499-4973
photo: a tray of cylindrical coffee ice cubes at Red Horse Cafe
