Will the steaks always be rare at a new restaurant at U.S. Mint headquarters in Washington, D.C.?
Collectors will have to find out starting in 2010 when Cuba Libre D.C. LLC opens its location in the nation’s capital on the first floor of the U.S. Mint’s headquarters building at 801 9th St. N.W.
The firm, which calls itself a restaurant and rum bar, carries the name of a popular rum and Coke drink that traces its roots to the aftermath of the Spanish-American War in Cuba and was promoted by the Bacardi Rum Co.
Other restaurant locations are in Orlando, Fla., Philadelphia, Pa., and Atlantic City, N.J.
The Mint said June 16 that it has awarded a sublease to Cuba Libre D.C., LLC for 8,000 square feet of retail space in the southwest corner of the first floor. The sublease is for a base period of 10 years with two five-year options.
“Cuba Libre D.C.’s subleasing of street-level retail space in the United States Mint’s Headquarters building will help the United States Mint defray its own lease expenses, which ultimately results in a savings to America’s taxpayers,” said Mint Director Ed Moy.
“We are also pleased that this sublease will bring a new retail establishment to the District’s vibrant Chinatown neighborhood,” he added.
