It’s true that Denver parades more steakhouses than you can shake a steer at, but the city’s dining scene also encompasses a smorgasbord of bona fide chef-driven restaurants to impress both culinary elitists and business travelers with generous expense accounts.

First, the prime cuts: Both Elway’s Colorado Steakhouse and The Capital Grille roll out the red carpet for power-broking pinstripers looking to seal the deal. If you want to rub shoulders with past and present players from the Denver Broncos football team, including the great John Elway, for whom the restaurant is named, Elway’s is your place. Capital Grille’s A-listers include powerful lobbyists, prominent attorneys and politicians.

Delectable Mediterranean-inspired fare lures the cognoscenti to Rioja, a stylish and perpetually packed eatery helmed by celebrity chef-owner Jennifer Jasinski. Revel in Jasinski’s braised veal cheeks with ricotta gnocchi, explore the winsome wine list and pause for a post-dinner cocktail in the snazzy bar teeming with well-heeled city slickers.

For a down-home taste of Denver’s Wild West roots, look no further than the Buckhorn Exchange, the city’s oldest restaurant. The kitchen unleashes wild game dishes, including red-chile marinated rattlesnake, fried alligator tail, elk and buffalo prime rib in a dining room walled with taxidermy.

In the Hotel Teatro, Restaurant Kevin Taylor lives up to its reputation as Denver’s top fine dining destination. The seared French foie gras with pineapple gelée, roasted rack of Colorado lamb and crisp-roasted Australian barramundi with bouillabaisse sauce are delightful. Tuxedoed servers, a sterling wine cellar and an opulent setting just add to the bliss.

At the Wynkoop Brewing Company, you might see Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper talking politics at the bar over a pint of Railyard Ale and a plate of stout-braised pot roast. It was Hickenlooper, after all, who opened the state’s first brewpub.