The team behind La Cuchara is opening a seafood restaurant in South Baltimore.

Brothers Ben and Jake Lefenfeld are opening Minnow on the first floor of the 2 East Wells apartment building. Ben Lefenfeld said the group is targeting a May opening for the restaurant, which will seat about 130 guests.

Jake Lefenfeld will serve as the restaurant’s general manager. Ben Lefenfeld declined to name the executive chef (though it won’t be him — he plans to stay in the kitchen at La Cuchara).

Minnow will focus on sustainable seafood, and Ben Lefenfeld said he envisions the restaurant as a spot locals could come a couple times a week without breaking the bank.

“This is a concept that we’ve wanted to do for a while,” he said. “We feel like in the affordable price point and neighborhood market, there’s not really much out there as far as a great place to go to get a nice piece of sauteed or grilled fish.”

Small plates will run $6 to $12, with entrees priced from $14 to $26, he said. The menu is still in the works, and Lefenfeld said in the coming weeks he’ll be experimenting with some recipes at La Cuchara that may wind up on Minnow’s menu.

The restaurant will also offer a wine list with heavy Mediterranean influences to match the variety of food preparations.

Minnow will look to source ingredients locally when possible, serving a combination of farmed and wild-caught seafood.

“As far as sustainable goes, that’s just the responsible way of doing business in this industry at this point,” Lefenfeld said.

Lefenfeld said his team targeted South Baltimore because they saw a need for more dining options in the neighborhood.

“We also think that the neighborhood is underserved, if you will, by the local restaurant scene,” he said. “We definitely think that for the amount of people that live and work in the area, it’s nice to have another everyday restaurant option.”

Minnow is moving into a space that was previously slated for a restaurant by former Tark’s Grill executive chef Jeff Keeney called At Light’s End. Keeney said in an email that his project, which was originally scheduled to open late last summer, is no longer in the works.

“I have decided to move on from the 2 [East Wells] project,” Keeney wrote.

Keeney is now the executive chef of Old Town Grill in Hampstead.

In brief

Some familiar Baltimore names are among the semifinalists for restaurant and chef James Beard Awards.

Woodberry Kitchen was a semifinalist for outstanding service, Charleston was named in the outstanding wine program category, and Charleston chef Cindy Wolf was again listed among the semifinalists for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.

Andrew Carmellini, the chef partnering with Kevin Plank on the restaurants at the Sagamore Pendry Baltimore hotel and Sagamore Spirit distillery, was also nominated in the Outstanding Chef category for his New York restaurant Locanda Verde. Carmellini has previously won three James Beard Awards for Best Chef: New York City, Best Chefs in America and Rising Star Chef of the Year.

Five finalists per category will be unveiled March 15, and the winners will be announced May 1 at the James Beard Foundation Awards Gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

The local chain Mission BBQ is opening another restaurant in Anne Arundel County as part of a rapid East Coast expansion.

The restaurant is set to open at the Waugh Chapel Towne Centre in Gambrills on March 6. The fast-casual eatery at 2503 Evergreen Road will be Mission BBQ’s 13th in Maryland and 43rd overall.

The first Mission BBQ opened in Glen Burnie in 2011, and the chain has locations in 11 states, from Florida to Pennsylvania.

The Gambrills location will host charity nights leading up to its opening, including a military appreciation night 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 3, benefiting the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore.

Dining dates

Mark your calendar for these upcoming food and drink events.

Thursday: Kentucky Nights, a bourbon tasting; 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Mount Washington Tavern (5700 Newbury St.); $35.

Monday: Chimaek PopUp: Korean fried chicken and beer with The Local Fry and Wet City; 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Wet City (223 W. Madison St.); a la carte.

Tuesday: “Decanted” screening and wine tasting: Featuring a documentary on winemaking in Napa Valley; 6 p.m. at the Senator Theater (5904 York Road); $50.

smeehan@baltsun.com

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