Gyms Go Gourmet

Despite the heightened attention to nutrition, gym menus aren't always ascetic. The Michigan Athletic Club in East Lansing, for example, serves an array of wines alongside such dishes as special reduced-calorie chicken saltimbocca, with skim milk substituting for the sauce's traditional heavy cream. And the Sports Club/LA in New York City serves desserts like fudgy fruit fondue. Still, some sacrifice is required. Mario Oliver, who opened Oliver, a chic restaurant at the Sports Club/LA in Beverly Hills, Calif., in February, laments that gym entrees can't be quite as rich as the French dishes he grew up with in Paris. "When I go out, I want to taste a little salt, sugar, have a platter of cheese and charcuterie ..." he says, trailing off as he recalls feasts of yore. Few of those fatty foods make the cut at his restaurant, but Oliver couldn't resist putting a rich chocolate mousse on the menu. Will gym rats splurge as a post-workout reward? Says Oliver with a shrug: "It's an experiment."