After the holidays and the hullabaloo to start the new year, restaurant traffic can slow to a trickle at the end of winter. But this year, and for the 13th in a row, Visit Denver presents Denver Restaurant Week, 10 days of discounted dinners at restaurants across the metro area and beyond. The annual food-focused festivities have changed through the years with the dynamic growth and preferences of the Mile High maturing. Over the first number of years, menu choices were offered at $52.80 for two, but the price eventually rose to $30 where it stayed until this year. Now, the cost of dinner has been divided into $25, $35 and $45 tiers, allowing more restaurants to participate at a lower price point.

As we waded through the depths of the 13th annual Denver Restaurant Week listings, we called out special attention to the menus with a focus on value, variety and accurate representation of the experience. Check out this sampling of DRW winners below. Make your reservations soon; Restaurant Week runs from February 24 through March 5.