Steak, Status, and the Daniel’s Effect

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Daniel’s Miami did not become one of Coral Gables’ most talked-about restaurants by accident. Yes, it serves the kind of dinner influencers like to photograph – dramatic steaks, polished seafood starters, plush sides, low lighting, a room full of moneyed energy. But it also arrived with momentum. The location is where the founding Gioia Hospitality Group also ran Fiola, the over-the-top restaurant in the South Gables, and it is the second incarnation of Daniel’s steakhouse in Fort Lauderdale, itself a huge hit since launching there in 2024.

LEFT: THE RICH LUXURIOUS MAIN DINING ROOM WITH ATTENTION TO DETAIL THAT ELEVATES THE EVENING
RIGHT: FOUNDER TOM ANGELO AND DAUGHTER KASSIDY ANGELO PRESIDING OVER DANIEL’S

Daniel’s in the Gables opened last summer and became an overnight sensation, positioning itself as an “occasion” restaurant: expensive, handsome, well staffed, and full of cues that tell diners they are somewhere important. It has attracted not only a local crowd but music and sports celebrities, with a visibility that has translated into real acclaim. In March, it was named No. 40 of the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants, the only Florida restaurant to make the list. In late 2025, Daniel’s was also named No. 9 in North America by the same London-based Upper Cut Media House rating group. And in February, Forbes magazine spotlighted Daniel’s in a feature on Miami’s dining scene. 

As for the restaurant’s swift ascendancy, “it’s all about the quality of the steaks, the variety of cuts, and the service,” says Tom Angelo, who founded Daniel’s along with daughter Kassidy Angelo and culinary director Danny Ganem. Another criterion of the “steak ambassadors” who visited anonymously for the listing: the depth of the wine program, and for that Daniel’s has few equals. Its transparent interior walls are filled with wine bottles, and its wine list is more than 100 pages long, ranging from Argentine merlots for less than $100 to French Bordeaux for more than $2,000. Tom Angelo was something of a wine expert when he left his career as an attorney to launch Fiola in 2018, and it shows.

LEFT: 36-OUNCE HERITAGE ELITE PRIME PORTERHOUSE WITH TWICE-BAKED POTATO TOPPED WITH CAVIAR
RIGHT: CHOCOLATE & VANILLA SWIRL SUNDAE WITH CHOICE OF TOPPINGS

The night we dined at Daniel’s, the front of the house was being run by Kassidy, the managing director of the Gioia Hospitality Group, who usually operates the Fort Lauderdale location. Filling in for Tom, she explained how Daniels’ success was the product of careful positioning and attention to detail. “We really try to be intentional about the ingredients that we use, that’s really what I think differentiates us, the way that we source, and obviously the service that we provide to guests.”

As far as sourcing goes, that’s the province of culinary director Ganem, who has built partnerships with ranches around the world, from Mayura Station in South Australia to Rosewood Ranch in Texas. And as for service, Daniel’s is impeccable, with a hierarchy of well trained, professional staff. In a place this expensive, that counts for a lot. As Kassidy put it simply: “Hospitality is a people business,” and the service here is smooth, seamless, and calibrated to make the evening feel elevated. By the same attention to detail, the lighting is muted and flattering, and the music set at just the right volume for a multigenerational playlist curated by Kassidy and Tom.

On our visit, we started with the basil Caesar, sharpened with lemon and anchovy and finished with Piave Vecchio cheese, followed by the Florida blue crab cake, topped with Kaluga caviar, rock shrimp, Meyer lemon, and crème fraîche. Both were polished and rich without being heavy. For the main course, we split the 36-ounce Demkota Heritage Elite Prime Porterhouse, along with the twice-baked potato and the Maine lobster mac & cheese. The steak was good, but for $225, did not quite justify the mythology surrounding it. It was tender, flavorful, and well-plated, but not transcendent, and 36 ounces was a bit much, even for two. We regretted not ordering the 45-day dry-aged cowboy ribeye from Omaha (22 oz. for $155) or the grass-fed Kansas City cut from northern Florida (20 oz. for $105).

The sides, however, were another story. The twice-baked potato delivered exactly what you want from a steakhouse classic, and the lobster mac & cheese was stellar: rich, deeply savory, with chunks of lobster; indulgent in the best sense. Dessert went in a more playful direction – a chocolate-and-vanilla swirl sundae you build yourself with toppings like Oreos, brownies, sprinkles, and M&Ms – a whimsical ending in an over-the-top restaurant otherwise built on polish and prestige.