“For the love of all that is holy,” wrote Marcus, “let’s not promote the name Chibeca, which sounds like a mutant hellspawn genetic experiment hybrid of Tribeca, Chewbacca, Chipotle, a Chia Pet, chai, and chewing tobacco.” That’s what makes it so great! I’m not really trying to make Chibeca happen, but that area does have a unique flavor, at least for now, and as such, it warrants a special name. Besides, Chibeca is better for your real-estate values than Chinatown.

Anyway, I heard back from Community Board 1 about the restaurant coming to 87 Walker (former site of the S10 Training gym, which moved to Lispenard). All that we knew about it was from the notice posted on the door: Potentially to be called Babcock’s, the restaurant/bar hopes to be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m (Sunday through Thursday) and 2 a.m. (Friday and Saturday). CB1 used to send out the entire application in advance of the meeting, but now it just releases a summary (below), which tells us a tad more: The establishment is 1,800 square feet; the method of operation is “American Cuisine Restaurant and Bar”; the music will be recorded/background only; and most intriguing, the applicant’s previous licensed establishments are AER Lounge (409 W. 13th St.) and Café Simple (132 Greenpoint Ave., in Greenpoint). AER was a nightclub in the Meatpacking District around 2007, but I can’t find any record of it on the State Liquor Authority’s website. As for Café Simple, the only evidence of it online is on the SLA website, but no principals are named (and the license expired in 2005). Back when Haus was pretending not to be a nightclub, its proprietor touted the experience of manager Carlos Narcisse, who was AER’s “founding partner and creative manager.” The only other AER proprietor I could locate was “Goya Foods magnate Andy Unanue [who] tried to run for U.S. Senate in New Jersey.”

It bears watching, especially for people who live in the area. (Chibecans!) Au Cheval alone is likely to bring crowds; this could increase the impact. The Community Board 1 Licensing Committee meeting is at 6 p.m. on November 14 at the Municipal Building.

UPDATE: “Just guessing but the establishment at 132 Greenpoint might have been Cafe Splendid,” says RN. “The dates seem to line up. It was co-owned by a Terrence LeRay who is a real estate broker with a prior career in nightlife.” I had come across Splendid but I hadn’t found the dates.