Where’s the Beef? Not at Luma

Heavy cream sauces went out of fashion years ago, but that doesn’t mean chefs gave up butter. Even those infamous California cuisine plates with practically nothing on them were loaded with calories. Chefs here know that many customers who order grilled fish, no sauce for dinner, turn around and order a big chocolate calorie bomb for dessert--�maybe just to share,� they say with guilty glee.

The question, then, for Luma, a new Santa Monica restaurant devoted to gourmet health food is what will these same Southern Californians do when confronted with pricey, good-looking food that really is made with no butter (or any dairy products for that matter) and no red meat? You don’t even get butter with your bread--spiced pumpkin puree will have to do.

So far, the natives are curious. Luma’s dramatic, high-ceilinged interior from Pinot/Bikini designer Cheryl Brantner is packing in the celebrity clients (the restaurant is partially owned by A&M; Records’ Jerry Moss). Some of the things they can choose from: striped bass tartare, sturgeon “osso buco� with barley-wheat berry risotto, a nice shellfish soup made with hickory-smoked olives, lots of interesting salads--one with 16 different kinds of greens, one with warm garlic, parsley dressing and bits of cured salmon where you’d expect bacon. And the chocolate cake? Not bad for something with no butter, no eggs, and no white sugar.