Daniel’s, A Florida Steakhouse, takes center stage as Fort Lauderdale returns to SOBEWFF for the festival’s 25th year.
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For a quarter century, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) has served as a cultural compass for South Florida dining, signaling not just what’s delicious now, but where the region’s culinary momentum is headed in the times ahead. In 2026, as the festival celebrates its 25th year from February 19 through 22, that compass swings north yet again.
After a one-year hiatus, Fort Lauderdale is back on the SOBEWFF map, and Daniel’s, A Florida Steakhouse, is among three restaurants (Vitolo and Mai-Kai being the others) carrying the city’s banner. The restaurant will have a dinner hosted by its chef, Danny Ganem, on Thursday, February 19. All three Fort Lauderdale events are sold out as of press time. However, you can still experience Daniel’s, Vitolo, and Mai-Kai at their restaurants throughout the year.
From left: Founder Thomas Angelo, his daughter and co-owner Kassidy Angelo, and executive chef Daniel Ganem of Daniel’s, A Florida Steakhouse, at the Michelin Guide ceremony in 2025
A Milestone Moment for a Fort Lauderdale Family
For Kassidy Angelo, co-owner of Daniel’s and the steward of its front-of-house experience, the moment is layered with meaning. She grew up in Fort Lauderdale. Her father and business partner, Thomas Angelo, has spent nearly 35 years building his life and career there. To host an official SOBEWFF dinner at their flagship restaurant feels like a milestone in a much longer story.
“It’s a huge honor for us to be able to do it in Fort Lauderdale,” Angelo tells New Times. “It really shows that the food scene in Broward is evolving, and that the festival is recognizing what’s happening here.”
A new steakhouse opens in Fort Lauderdale.
The Louis Collection photo
An Intimate Dinner in a Festival Known for Spectacle
That recognition comes in the form of an intimate, seated dinner on Thursday, February 19, when Daniel’s will close to the public and reopen exclusively for SOBEWFF guests. With roughly 80 to 100 diners filling the room, the evening stands apart from the festival’s hallmark sprawling beachside tastings and grand walk-around events. For Angelo, that intimacy is the point.
“An experience like this lets us show people what Daniel’s is really about,” she says. “Food is obviously at the forefront, but hospitality is just as important. It’s how you make people feel when they walk through the door, whether it’s their first visit or their tenth.”
Daniel’s sources 60-70 percent of ingredients from within Florida
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A Florida Steakhouse Rooted in Local Sourcing
That philosophy has guided Daniel’s since it opened its Fort Lauderdale location in 2024. The original goal wasn’t to replicate Miami’s dining scene or chase trends from the south, but to build something rooted in truly local sensibilities. Angelo describes it as asking a simple question: what would locals want to eat if given a truly elevated option close to home? The answer became a modern Florida steakhouse anchored by exceptional service and a strong commitment to local sourcing, with roughly 60-70 percent of ingredients sourced from within the state.
The SOBEWFF menu provided to New Times reflects that mindset while leaning into the big-time occasion. The multi-course dinner includes wagyu brisket croquettes, hamachi crudo with Swank Farms strawberries, winterfrost wagyu zabuton tataki, and an Australian wagyu strip steak Diane. A standout course is the wagyu short rib lasagna with black winter truffles, a signature dish from chef Danny Ganem that’s rarely served in Fort Lauderdale and makes a special appearance for the festival.
From left: Owner Thomas Angelo and executive chef Daniel Ganem at Daniel’s, A Florida Steakhouse
The Louis Collection photo
Fort Lauderdale’s Culinary Comeback
Beyond the plate, Angelo sees Daniel’s participation as part of a broader moment for all of Broward County. For years, Fort Lauderdale has often been overlooked in regional dining conversations. Now, with the city’s return to SOBEWFF after a brief absence, that narrative is shifting.
“It’s exciting to see Fort Lauderdale being taken seriously as a culinary destination,” she says. “There’s real local support here, and that matters.”
Looking ahead, the momentum continues. Later in February, Daniel’s Miami will host the Rare Tour, a six-hands dinner bringing together three of the world’s most respected steak destinations (Laia, Casa Julián, and Daniel’s) for a collaborative, high-level dining experience.
As SOBEWFF marks its 25th anniversary, Daniel’s role in the festival underscores a simple truth. South Florida’s food story no longer belongs to just one city. Fort Lauderdale is very much back at the table, and this is just one of many ways it’s carving out its place, course by course.
SOBEWFF Dinner hosted by Danny Ganem at Daniel’s. 620 S. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale; 954-451-1200; danielssteak.com. Sold out on Thursday, February 19; however, the restaurant will reopen the following day as per usual.