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There's a bit of Buckhead in the new FireWater Chophouse. It comes from chef Sean McLendon, whose history with the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group surfaces on the menu of his new place in Cumming.

At the Buckhead Life group, headed by renowned local restaurateur Pano Karatassos, McLendon was executive chef at Chops, the chain's classic steakhouse.

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"I was with Pano for a long time, so you will see a little bit of that influence," said McLendon with a laugh. "But I felt that the time was right to go out on my own. I live in Cumming, so this was an ideal place to do it."

The new space in Cumming Town Center even sports some of the style of a Buckhead eatery, with a combination waterfall and fireplace in the dining room. At the back of the dining room, there's a show going on in the open kitchen, where several tables get as close as 10 feet to the action.

Classic chic

McLendon's concept is a traditional steakhouse featuring dry-aged prime beef and fresh ingredients. "I'm using a lot of organic and locally grown produce," he said. "That goes for suppliers as well. For instance, I have a chicken supplier I can call at 9 a.m. to bring in chicken that was live that morning that I can serve at 4 p.m. I don't even have a freezer. Everything is prepared from scratch."

Among McLendon's favorites is a 12-ounce grilled rib-eye that's first marinated in orange, plum, pineapple, soy and teriyaki flavors. Other meaty choices include filet in 6-, 9- and 12-ounce portions; 10- and 16-ounce prime ribs; New York and Kansas City strips; lamb and veal chops; and the priciest menu item, a 12-ounce rib-eye of Wagyu Japanese beef for $71. Order your selection topped with one of eight sauces, including bordelaise, hollandaise and bearnaise.

On the water side, there's an "SOS" platter of fried shrimp, oysters and scallops; a 10- to 12-ounce flash-fried lobster tail; and plates of Scottish salmon, Georgia trout and cod, snapper, grouper, tuna, shrimp, swordfish and mahi-mahi.

In classic steakhouse style, there's an array of $3 traditional sides: asparagus with hollandaise, a giant baked potato, broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, creamed spinach and onion rings. There also are black truffle potato gnocchi, glazed carrots, creamed corn, mac and cheese and sour cream whipped potatoes.

Before the main course, start with fried lobster fingers, spinach and artichoke dip with crispy Parmesan toast points, salt and vinegar calamari, crab cakes, mussels, a mixed seafood platter or blue cheese potato chips.

The in-house pastry chef whips up whatever the day's ingredients inspire. It may be a tiramisu, chocolate lava cake with bourbon crème anglaise, a chilled lemon souffle or a cold chocolate soup with pistachio biscotti.

For lunch, pick from one of eight gourmet burgers, including Kobe beef, or build your own from an array of toppings. There's also a daily soup, several salads and sandwiches of chicken salad and a salmon BLT. On Sundays, the early meal is a brunch of sandwiches, burgers, egg dishes and breakfast favorites.

From the bar

The 140 bottles in the wine collection represent boutique wineries from the West Coast, including Oregon and Washington. About 75 are available by the glass. There are 27 bottled beers and six on draft, as well as a complete menu of cocktails and cordials. Cigarette and cigar smoking is available in the 50-seat bar.