America's Best Health Club Restaurants Slideshow

Oliver Café|Lounge: Equinox (Sports Club/LA), Beverly Hills, Calif.

Los Angeles Magazine voted Oliver the "Best Place to Overhear Industry Gossip" in 2010; we guess those in the know get there early for their Fresh Fruit Eliminator. The menu changes often and offers the likes of miso cold-poached Norwegian salmon and brie-avocado bruschetta. The "Lounge" part does indeed mean lounge, with cocktails like their signature pomegranate martini on offer.

Maxwells's At The Club: East Bank Club, Chicago

Open to the public, this upscale club is noted for its enormity, holding four swimming pools and a 60,000-square-foot sun deck. But its restaurant's kitchen is noted for adding the little details that make food sway from average to fine.

They host a popular weekly Italian buffet that offers an array of choices such as cauliflower with fennel seeds, saffron, and garlic alongside more standard fare. As for Maxwells' regular menu, Chicago Magazine liked the stuffed Medjool dates and white Alaskan salmon.

Moon Terrace Restaurant: The Marsh, Minnetonka, Minn.

This wellness center complements its fitness offerings and full-service spa with health food in their dining room (overlooking natural wetlands). Showcasing local farmers and creameries, they create such flavorful dishes as watermelon arugula salad and ricotta spinach dumplings with Parmesan herb broth and melted leeks. The public is welcome.

Moon Terrace Restaurant: The Marsh, Minnetonka, Minn.

This wellness center complements its fitness offerings and full-service spa with health food in their dining room (overlooking natural wetlands). Showcasing local farmers and creameries, they create such flavorful dishes as watermelon arugula salad and ricotta spinach dumplings with Parmesan herb broth and melted leeks. The public is welcome.

Olivette: Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, Houston

The most upscale of the facility's dining options, Olivette, was lauded by the Houston Press as having a "wonderful" atmosphere and was praised for its blend of Mediterranean, North African, American, and Middle Eastern cuisines. On the current menu is gulf snapper prepared with clams, coconut milk, ginger, baby tomatoes, baby bok choy, and black rice.

Scanlon's: Athletic Club of Bend, Bend, Ore.

Recently renovated and re-opened to the public in 2011, Scanlon's did an overhaul on its menu, which now focuses on sophisticated, healthy fare. The restaurant has an elegant atmosphere, thanks to dark wood furnishings and subdued lighting, but the sensibility is still casual enough to kick back in after a workout. The wood-burning oven is used to prepare items such as the wood-fired Asian wok entrée, which mixes stir-fried tofu, market vegetables, tamari glaze, and brown rice pilaf.

Equinox (Pulse Restaurant & Bar: SportsClub/LA at Rockefeller Center), New York City

Overlooking the famed skating rink in Rockefeller Plaza, Pulse offers a sophisticated atmosphere and healthy food; Time Out New York magazine praised its attentive service, attractive setting, and "foolproof" tea-flavored crème brûlées. You'll also find choices like the steamed vegetable dumpling appetizer with spicy ponzu dip, and the summer vegetable risotto with asparagus, sweet green peas, carrots, and blue cheese.

Polaris Grill: Bellevue Club, Bellevue, Wash.

The Bellevue has a recreational and workout facility with two Olympic-sized pools; basketball, racquetball, and tennis courts; and a full roster of classes and a spa. You're sure to be hungry after all that action, so their fine dining restaurant Polaris will hit the spot. If you're lucky, the day you're there the menu may feature seafood enchiladas with bay shrimp and salmon, chipotle cream sauce, avocado, and pico de gallo.

OC Seven: Scottsdale Resort & Athletic Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Featuring Asian fusion and Southwestern fare, this family restaurant offers desert dining alfresco, with a 50-seat patio. Eat creatively with selections like cornmeal-crusted walleye pike with avocado risotto and the candied walnut Gorgonzola salad. Also open to the public are monthly wine dinners, cooking classes, and culinary seminars.

Life Café: Life Time Athletic Club, Berkeley Heights, N.J.

With a menu created by a culinary board of dieticians, personal trainers, and the chef, Life Café strives to offer a menu that's both flavorful and mindful of calories (usually between 400 and 600 calories per meal). Their large selection of salads ranges from Tuscan chicken to Asian sesame — Life Café was recently touted in a New York Times article, which noted the tossed salad topped with grilled salmon.

Café Verde: Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Ojai, Calif.

The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa takes their herbs very seriously. After enjoying tennis, exercise classes, or one of the spa services, take a dip in the Herb Garden Pool, where lavender- and rosemary-infused lemonades are served poolside. Then, step into their refreshing spa restaurant, Café Verde, which is open for lunch every day. The fare here features locally grown produce and dishes crafted using fresh herbs from the garden — a secondary menu that includes custom-made smoothies is available around the pools all day long.