RESTAURANTS • First Person
What Chef Danny Ganem and his Gioia Hospitality team created at Daniel’s is the most interesting new steakhouse concept to hit South Florida in some time. By sourcing nearly all its ingredients from the Sunshine State, and serving them in bright and inviting spaces, Daniel’s is a fine dining destination representative of all that’s great about Florida. Following the success of its 2024 debut in Fort Lauderdale, it opened a Coral Gables location last month.
The menu reads like first-day introductions from a lecture class at UF. Hello, I’m Wagyu Carpaccio from a farm on the Suwannee River. Over there is Pink Shrimp Cocktail from Key West. Baby Romaine Caesar? She’s from Loxahatchee. And meet my friend Florida Seafood Chowder, whose clams, shrimp, snapper, and lobster all represent the Treasure Coast.
Even the dishes that don’t claim specific regions wear their Sunshine State pride. The steaks are largely Florida grass-fed beef, bringing the clean, mellowed flavor we’ve come to expect from our state cattle. The braised beef short rib is best if you’re looking to share. For one, the Creekstone prime filet mignon is spectacular, especially when paired with the house-made seared foie gras and peppercorn sauce. The 32-day, dry-aged prime cowboy ribeye is hefty, good for two meals.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Florida without a few out-of-state transplants, and the Georgia Chatel Farms steaks hold their own, as do the rosemary-crusted Australian lamb chops and Margaret River NY Strip.
In Coral Gables, the former Fiola dining room has been rehabbed into a lighter space, eschewing the dark-wood steakhouse motif for something more appropriate for the subtropics.
In both spots, Ganem and company have created restaurants that showcase Florida’s agricultural bounty in a way few have before. And I’m thrilled a trip to Broward is no longer necessary to indulge Daniel’s bounty. –Matt Meltzer
→ Daniel’s (Coral Gables) • 1500 San Ignacio Ave • Mon 5-9p, Tue-Fri 12-10p, Sat 5-1030p, Sun 1130a-9p • Reserve.