Will this new steakhouse in Fort Lauderdale be the next big thing in Broward?

Fort Lauderdale’s chic new steakhouse may be the creation of a Miami hospitality team, but its goal is to highlight the best of all Florida has to offer.

Opening just south of the Henry E. Kinney tunnel, Daniel’s, a Florida steakhouse, is the latest addition to the blossoming Fort Lauderdale food scene. Established by the Gioia Hospitality Team, which includes founder Thomas Angelo, owner of the Michelin-recommended Italian restaurant Fiola in Coral Gables, Daniel’s has taken over the former space of Canyon, which closed in August after more than 25 years.

Angelo, who raised his family in Fort Lauderdale and has teamed up with his daughter Kassidy Angelo on the project, said that Daniel’s aims to draw guests from beyond the neighboring Rio Vista neighborhood and become a spot for everything from casual after-work happy hours to special occasions and family celebrations. Think of it as a somewhat more relaxed Fiola, only with significantly fewer pasta dishes.

“I think what we’re going to be providing is a great sense of hospitality and great food, and it’s going to be done in an approachable ambiance,” he said. “It’s not a stuffy place where people can’t be themselves.”

The 4,500-square-foot space is inviting, with copper accents, comfortable green banquettes and striking chandeliers. In keeping with the Florida theme, the restaurant features artwork by Naples-based photographer Michelle Tricca depicting the cowboys of Florida. You’ll also spot photographs of historic Fort Lauderdale from those bygone days when traffic wasn’t quite so congested.

A private dining room that can seat up to 25 guests features works by artists Alfred Hair and Harold Newton of the famous Florida Highwaymen, the legendary group of African American landscape painters. The paintings are on loan from Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Schlesinger.

The food also showcases Florida’s bounty. A collaboration by Fiola executive chef Daniel Ganem, who is also Gioia’s culinary director, and Angelo, the menu aims to source 50 to 60 percent of its ingredients from Florida. Before the opening, Ganem traveled around the state to meet with farmers and ranchers, from the rice paddies near Jacksonville to oyster farmers in the Panhandle to ranchers in the central part of the state.

Ganem is also working on creating a tasting menu at the six-seat chef’s counter in front of the open kitchen that highlights food from around the state. The chef’s counter will open sometime in the near future.

For now, the menu includes starters like a kale and hearts of palm salad and Florida Burrata (from — where else? — Florida creameries). There’s also the Wagyu & Pearls, with the wagyu provided by Florida co-op Arrowhead Beef topped with Kaluga Caviar. Skipper Bay in the Panhandle provides raw oysters, served with passionfruit mignonette.

There’s also a foie gras creme brulee with cashews, toasted coconut and mango and pastrami bao buns with Suwannee River wagyu brisket, onions, aged Gruyere and Thousand Island sauce.

Florida ranchers also supply meat for main dishes, including braised Suwannee River wagyu beef short rib served with potato fonduta and mushrooms; a wagyu ribeye; and a grass-fed Florida Providence Cattle strip steak.

The menu also branches out from red meat. There’s half of a roasted chicken with black winter truffles and preserved lemon butter and a pan-roasted hogfish with cucumbers, lime and fennel-tomato relish.

Ganem, who will continue to oversee Fiola’s kitchen, said that keeping an eye on both restaurants isn’t a problem. He’s already poring over old cookbooks, looking for ways to add Seminole and Calusa cuisine to the menu someday.

“The biggest pressure for me is making the farmers proud and the ranchers proud and finally showcasing Florida the way it should be,” he said. “We get to showcase some really cool items from different cultures.”

Led by Gioia’s wine and beverage director Daniel Bishop, the beverage program also pays tribute to locally produced beer and spirits, including those from Gulf Stream Distillery in Fort Lauderdale. Cocktails include the Stranahan Sour, named for Fort Lauderdale founder Frank Stranahan, and the famous Canyon margarita with prickly pear, a nod to the former restaurant in the space.

“We want guests to feel that connection to the state’s rich offerings with every sip,” said Bishop, who along with Ganem and Angelo will lead a series of wine and beverage events, including a Macallan dinner on Oct. 24.

Fort Lauderdale is a much different market than Coral Gables, and Angelo acknowledges that the team has worked to understand that (“We’ll pay close attention to that just as we did in Coral Gables,” he told the Miami Herald in August). But with new apartments and condos shooting up in and around downtown, even with chef-driven concepts like Timon Balloo’s The Katherine, the city has room for the culinary scene to grow.

Kassidy Angelo, who left a position at J.P. Morgan to join the team, said that Daniel’s hopes to be part of that development.

“Daniel’s can be part of what changes the city,” she said. “I grew up in Fort Lauderdale. My dad’s been here for almost 30 years. My mom grew up here. . . . There are so many amazing locally owned restaurants, but a lot of them don’t emphasize steak. So we kind of thought: How can do something different that would fill a niche? And we came up with the idea of Florida. People here are so proud to be Floridians. We really wanted to bring something to people where they felt at home.”

Daniel’s, a Florida steakhouse

Where: 620 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale

Opening: Oct. 8

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; closed Sunday-Monday; happy hour 5-7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday

Reservations and more information: www.danielssteak.com or 954-451-1200

This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 4:30 AM.