Several years ago, The Sawtooth Club was voted the valley’s best overall restaurant and best bar for 4 consecutive years in a local reader’s poll.  That reader’s poll no longer exists, but The Sawtooth is still just about the busiest place in town after more than 20 years in business.  Why? Consider the rustic charm & elegance of the place, beautiful outdoor deck, the award wining wine list and the unique wood grill. 

“Our live mesquite wood fire generates tremendous heat which sears in the natural flavors and juices and imparts a variety of subtle tastes and aromas to whatever we’re cooking,” explained owner Tom Nickel.  And whatever they’re cooking is without a doubt some of the most delicious food in the valley.  A mouth-watering selection of American steakhouse classics, all prepared with a contemporary, creative flair.  The Sawtooth serves everything from rib-eye steak brushed with smoked chipotle butter, to hand-cut filet mignon, to other perennial favorites like mesquite grilled rack of lamb, maple-wasabi glazed salmon, seared breast of duck and fire-grilled Idaho pork tenderloin.  Salads, pastas, poultry and many more homemade creations round out the inspired menu at this Ketchum landmark.   

The lively bar is a favorite hangout for locals and visitors alike and features a “café menu” of lighter fare that can be enjoyed around the central fireplace.  Still and always, The Sawtooth Club is Ketchum’s place for great food and good times. 

Writing of Ernest Hemingway’s love of Ketchum, the late journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson wrote… 
“… and in the end he came back to Ketchum, never ceasing to wonder why he hadn’t been killed years earlier in the midst of violent action on some other part of the globe.  Here, at least he had mountains and a good river below his house; he could live among rugged, non political people and visit, when he chose to, with a few of his famous friends who still came up to Sun Valley.  He could sit in The Tram or The Alpine or The Sawtooth Club and talk with men who felt the same way he did about life, even if they were not so articulate.  In this congenial atmosphere he felt he could get away from the pressures of a world gone mad and ‘write truly’ about life as he had in the past.”

From his book The Great Shark Hunt