The tagline for the new Elevation restaurant at McCollum Field in Kennesaw is "Midtown food without the Midtown drive." While it does offer a sophisticated menu in a suburban location, Elevation also offers an unobstructed view of aircraft taking off and landing.

The two-story Elevation looks out over the Cobb County airfield where small jets, private planes and helicopters come and go. There's really not a bad seat in the house for flight-watching. There's also a second-level Skybar, where guests can watch the action outside the windows while sipping cocktails and wine.

Renee Brock/Special (ENLARGE)
Diners at the two-story Elevation can take in the comings and goings of helicopters, small jets and private planes at McCollum Field in Kennesaw. Then there's the food ...
Renee Brock/Special (ENLARGE)
Meat choices at Elevation include rib-eye. For dessert, you might try lemon tart or vanilla panna cotta.
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Add to the views an approachable menu, created by local celebrity chef Richard Blais, formerly of the defunct Element and his own Blais, who has reined in his wild side to come up with dishes sure to please the suburban dining crowd.

"We wanted to bring Midtown here without ostracizing the local people," said owner Michael Bowman. "So we gave people what they know — chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese — and a few different things, like sashimi. And Richard had a big hand in all this, designing the kitchen and hiring the staff."

The restaurant has been in the works for about five years, said Bowman. "We had to get special permission for an alcohol license since we sit on Cobb County property. You'll see on the bottom of our menu a warning about drinking and flying.

Basics with a kick

Diners with long memories may recall Blais making a splash with his foie gras milkshake and Dr. Pepper-braised beef, but there's nothing as brash on the Elevation menu. Instead, many of the dishes are apt to acquire a local following among the meat-and-potatoes crowd.

Start off with tempura shrimp in a citrus aioli; beer-steamed mussels; pulled duck; and hummus with flatbread. Salads are traditional Cobb, Caesar and wedge, along with a sweet-and-sour beet. Clam chowder and creamy onion soups pair with sandwiches that get a bit of a twist: the steak sandwich is topped with a horseradish mascarpone, the fried chicken with a hot citrus sauce. Two of the top lunch choices are the bacon cheeseburger with caramelized onion, and the traditional fish and chips, a hearty platter served with malt vinegar and tartar sauce.

The fettuccine and tagliolini are made in-house and topped with tomato, basil and Parm or bacon, peas and lemon butter. The 10 main dishes are paired with creative sides: scallops with a cauliflower risotto; salmon with butternut-apple hash; an eggplant mignon with quinoa. Meat options include beef brisket, filet mignon, rib-eye, hanger steak and lamb spare ribs.

The kitchen does get creative with the desserts (be brave and order the "something chocolate"). Other choices are a lemon tart with sweet tea ice cream and lavender syrup and a vanilla panna cotta with Coca-Cola "rocks."

From the bar

There are two bars at Elevation, but both serve a wine list of about 40 bottles, with 14 by the glass. Choices range from the crowd-pleasing Mondavi and Kendall Jackson to several reserve options (Silver Oak and Opus). There are 10 beers on tap and another 12 in the bottle.

Blais' penchant for the exotic shows up in the signature liquid nitrogen margaritas and martinis. (Yes, they're smokin'.)

Just for fun

Other than watching the action outside the windows, guests can catch the latest sports action on the 15 high-def TVs around the restaurant. Plans are also in the works to offer chef's tasting dinners in the kitchen, where a special table has been built to accommodate 10 to 15 diners. The menus will be based on the chef's choices. "When you've got someone like Richard Blais cooking, they can expect anything," said Bowman.

• Signature dish: lamb spare ribs
• Entree prices: $14-$26
• Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; the bar stays open until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays
• Reservations: yes
• Credit cards: yes
• Web site: www.elevationchophouse.com