Chef’s Kitchen

Each month we bring a guest chef into our Chef’s Kitchen column to give us tips that elevate their cooking (and hopefully ours). They also provide a recipe that showcases their tips. Our guest chef this month is Executive Chef Paul Vigil from The Capital Grille. Nationally known for its dry-aged, hand-carved beef selections (dry-aged on premises in a proprietary process) and extensive, award-winning wine list, The Capital Grille has been recognized, repeatedly, by Wine Spectator magazine. They have also received the American Culinary Federation's "Achievement of Excellence Award."  In addition to their famous beef, they offer items like their popular Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese and signature pan-fried calamari with hot cherry peppers. The restaurant prides itself on offering professional, attentive service in an atmosphere of relaxed elegance. Seattle's Capital Grille opened February 4, 2008.

As executive chef of The Capital Grille in Seattle, Paul Vigil manages a kitchen staff of 25 and is responsible for all menu execution, culinary development and training. Chef Vigil draws inspiration from Pacific Northwest ingredients to create unique daily specials and seasonal menu features. Over the years, he has worked at some of the nation's top restaurants. He began his career at the Ritz-Carlton in Palm Beach, Florida, and went on to work at Mark's Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale and Chef Allen's in Miami. In Las Vegas, he expanded his culinary horizons as executive chef for Anasazi of Santa Fe and as corporate executive chef for the RoadRunner restaurant group. He also served as chef de cuisine at Rosemary's at the Rio and assistant chef at Stephen Kalt's Corsa Cucina and Daniel Boulud Brasserie, both in the Wynn Las Vegas. Paul lives in Seattle with his wife Julie and their two children Samuel and Lindsay.