American. When a city like Denver offers you such endless natural beauty, make sure your restaurant of choice exploits the best scenery the city has to offer. Sonoma'z Wine Bar & Grill is located in Denver's Marriott South hotel, and features a host of delicious foods that will make even the most astute tastemaker drool. Their famous Fillet Mignon burger has become a classic amongst patrons, and their Spinach Salad offers a healthy alternative that doesn't skimp on fresh ingredients or bombastic tastes. Happy hour specials will be a delight for any crowd needing a kick after a long day of exploring Colorado, and a breakfast buffet will make that morning something worth getting up early for.

Californian. Located at Park Meadows Mall, California Café offers a casual yet eclectic atmosphere. The restaurant emphasizes fresh and inventive fare and a deep wine list. Look for creative pizzas, great salads and artfully prepared fish, pasta and meat dishes.

Provencal. Boulder’s festive Mateo restaurant offers simple but refined southern French fare at family friendly prices. Look for bouillabaisse, lobster ravioli with herb fondue and watercress and the braised Colorado lamb shank with soft polenta, roasted vegetables and lamb jus. This neighborhood charmer features a changing menu drawn for local organic farms. Full bar.

Contemporary American. Q's Restaurant serves contemporary American cuisine featuring a variety of fresh seafood, meat and game as well as vegetarian offerings. Dinner entrees are accompanied by a salad of organic mixed greens. All desserts are prepared by in-house pastry chefs. The award winning wine list includes an eclectic variety of American wines as well as international selections.

Contemporary American, Seafood. Sapphire's food is simple, fresh and elegant, maintaining a balance between tradition and innovation, mingling classic technique with ethnic and cultural diversity. Sapphire offers Vail's only "raw bar" complete with the freshest-available oysters, crack-and-peel shrimp and other delicacies from the sea.

American, Steak, Seafood. Splendido restaurant is a perennially favorite with imported Italian linens, comfortable furnishings, impressive Chagall prints, and colorfully painted walls. The menu bridges American and European sensibilities with dishes like Dakota buffalo filet mignon with crème fraiche and chive potatoes, wood oven-roasted Maine lobster with cous cous and lemon hollandaise sauce, and ginger-roasted barramundi fillet with lemongrass broth and soba noodles.

American. Located in the heart of the Vail Village, Sweet Basil has been a must for travelers and locals alike since 1977. The cuisine is unrivaled contemporary American utilizing many cultural influences from around the world; all of this in a setting that blends fine dining with a captivating "bistro-like" energy.

Steakhouse. The Fort restaurant is an outpost of hearty American fare served in a replica of Bent's Fort, the first American community west of the Mississippi and rendezvous of Kit Carson and other "mountain men." The nine dining rooms seat 350 and serve creative, satisfying food typical of the early West where grilled meats ruled. Look for Rocky Mountain oysters, rattle snake cakes, grilled steaks, and an array of exotic wild game. The Fort is a truly one of a kind dining experience.

American, Continental. This elegant and historic restaurant resides in a genuine Tudor mansion overlooking the Wellshire Golf Course and the Front Range. Consistently rated one of Denver's most romantic destinations, the Wellshire Inn is a frequent host of weddings and banquets. The cuisine is classic seasonal local fare prepared in an American contemporary fashion, but the highlight of the Wellshire Inn for a good number of Denver restaurant-goers is the weekend brunch.