First time in Sun Valley

We are going to Hailey and Sun Valley/Ketchum next week to ski and visit. Will have a car. Am curious about great restaurants, good ski shops and scenic drives that can be done in the winter (we are used to driving in winter conditions).

Re restaurants : Would love to try local gourmet as well as local flavor. Are used to refined dining, fine wine as well as great down to earth stuff.

I%26#39;ve heard about the Ketchum Grill and Pioneers. Does anyone know about the Knob Hill Inn Restaurant?

Any other suggestions? We also have one night in Hailey. What would be the suggestions for that? CK%26#39;s, Zou 75,Three Ten Main or something else? (We like all kinds of food as long as it is good.)

Also plan to do some cooking there as we will have a condo for part of the trip. Where is the best place to grocery shop?

What about the best place to buy good wine and liquor to have in our condo?

Any good stores where we can buy ski equipment and clothes -- or can we get a better bargain in Boise? If so any suggestions?

Thanks

First time in Sun Valley

well, this is a tall order!!!First of all, there are 2 drives that i would suggest. One, 60 miles north, to Stanley...usually the coldest place in the US. In the summer, it is the starting point for raft trips and wonderful scenery. It is an old @#$% kicking gambling town, still with dirt roads. The mountains, the Sawtooths, are outstanding, and from Stanley, they are magestic. Take your own food, nothing this time of year. You could rent snowshoes in Ketchum, take a picnic, and go into Redfish Lake and sit on the porch of the lodge, and look at the frozen lake and all the mountains. this is a favorite, just a few miles before Stanley...well marked.

The other drive, is to the Frenchmans hot springs. Just go 8 miles past the Warm Springs lift and there you are. The drive is just the best...we old timers still go out there and have a beer or two. You can snow shoe from there, as the road is just plowed to a mile past the springs.The springs were covered with silt after the fire, and the locals cleaned it up right away. We love our hot springs, right in the middle of the river.

In Hailey, i would try 310 Main...i would give them the business. If you want REAL mexican food, try Lago Azul, just off main street, i could eat there everyday. Also, A taste of Thai, has very authentic Thai food, i would know!!! ON Main Street.

In Ketchum, i wouldn%26#39;t go to Knob Hill Inn. For one thing, they mostly have their own Idaho wine, won%26#39;t give you the name...ugh,Ketchum Grill is great. The pioneer is just the place to be seen. The food is moderate, at best.If you like Asian food, try Rick Shaw,,,,love that, and the smells...oh,

Also, go to Cristinas for lunch, you will love that.

The ONLY place to shop in Ketchum is Atkinsons...too bad. It was rated the most expensive grocery store in the west. We only sell liquor at the state store near Atkinsons. The Sun Valley Wine market is just next to the liquor store, but Atkinsons has a great selection.

Find Frenchmans Gulch tasting room, It is down on Warm springs road..they are great friends of mine. He was on the board of trade in Chi town, and came out here. loves wine and makes a darn good selection from Washington grapes. Mac and Tracey. Please tell them that Carla sent you. He is there from 3 to 6...Funny and great guy, and really good wine.

Ski equipment and clothes...check out the whole town, we have it all.

anything else???enjoy

First time in Sun Valley

Thank you very much Charley48.

That%26#39;s a lot of great info.

Can one actually go into Frenchman%26#39;s Hot Springs in the winter and if so are there changing rooms nearby? When we were skiing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, we went to Granite Hot Springs, not too far from Jackson, and bathed in the springs -- it was wonderful. There was a little house where we could change. I still have photos of us in our bathing suits in the water with the snow all around and the sun shining. It would be neat to do this again.

I had read your other comments on some other posts re Idaho wines, which I must admit I do not know much about, even though I do know bit about wine and as I do like Washington wines very much, I will definitely try Frenchman%26#39;s Gulch.

I saw the online menu and wine list at the Knob Hill Inn Restaurant, but noticed that they do have a fair list of wines from lots of other places and only carry one kind of Idaho wine. Seems to be a good variety of other wines. Have you tried the food there? It is part of the Relais %26amp; Chateaux chain and usually they are very nice and have very good restaurants. The Ketchum Grill is definitely on my list and I will look at the other places you suggested too.

Thanks again

There are no changing rooms at Frenchmans Bend hot springs, as it is in THE WOODS!!! Very informal here, either wear your suit, or change by the car...there won%26#39;t be many, if at all, people there.

I worked at Knob Hill Inn, they have Koneig wine, which are the people that own it. Trust me, they had over 50% of their wine. The resturant is very expensive and has a change of chefs,and they have a resturant so that they can keep the ';chateau'; name. enjoy,

P. S. Idaho is trying with their wines, but I personally, dont%26#39; get me wrong Idaho wine growers, just my personal thing, think that there is a bit to go. I won%26#39;t go any further....but , just to go to Frenchmans Gulch and meet Mac, and especially if you tell him i said to go, he is a real treat and the wine, yummy enjoy

OK, got the picture. Do you think it is worth checking out the Galena Summit Winery as well? Seems like the tasting room is in Ketchum? What about the Sun Valley Wine Company? It sounds like a tasting bar.

Thanks again Charley48.

galena wine company, or whatever, is no longer. The Sun valley Wine Company is a fun place. I told you about it, next to the liquor store, near Atkinsons...Ketchum is a fun place...enjoy

Thanks again Charley48. A couple more questions.

What do you know about the dinner sleigh ride at the Trail Creek Cabin?

I gather it is touristy, but I someone we know went on something like that when they visited Sun Valley a few years ago and loved it. Is the food any good or is it just the experience?

What about the Galena Lodge%26#39;s dinners? I read that they will be doing a winemaker%26#39;s dinner with Frenchman%26#39;s Gulch. Is it best just to go to Frenchman%26#39;s or is this something to consider as well?

cheers

The sleigh ride is fun, but the food is fairly good, being SV food. The experience is the best , tho, i would do it.

I would also have dinner at Galena Lodge. The lodge has huge history, being the only building from Stanley to Ketchum. The miners used to come over the summit and work at Galena (turn of the century), it was an ice house, and then (in the winter) bind their feet and walk to Ketchum. Ketchum was a gambling town and alll the action was there. Galena is also fun to x-country ski, or snow shoe, and then have lunch. They have great healthy food and beer and wine. On the way back from Galena, is the North Fork Store...on the way to Ketchum, going south, when you hit the SNRA building ( Sawtooth National Rec blah blah)it will be the first building on the right (west)..it was a store until a couple of years ago. It was used in Bus Stop with Marilyn Monroe, very famous building.

have fun and enjoy

but, no matter what you do, i would still go to Frenchmans tasting room. Mac won%26#39;t be at the dinner, don%26#39;t think so. The town tries to use his wine, as it is good and he donates it as well enjoy

Thanks for all your help Charley48,

we are leaving soon so this is great.

cheers