12 February 19-25, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ FORT LAUDERDALE UP NORTH For a quarter century, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) has served as a cul- tural compass for South Florida dining, signal- ing not just what’s delicious now, but where the region’s culinary momentum is headed in the times ahead. In 2026, as the festival cele- brates 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 restau- rants (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 restau- rants throughout the year. For Kassidy Angelo, co-owner of Daniel’s and the steward of its front-of-house experi- ence, 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 ca- reer there. To host an official SOBEWFF din- ner 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 Bro- ward is evolving, and that the festival is rec- ognizing what’s happening here.” That recognition comes in the form of an intimate, seated dinner on Thursday, Febru- ary 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 festi- val’s hallmark sprawling beachside tastings and grand walk-around events. For Angelo, that intimacy is the point. “An experience like this lets us show peo- ple what Daniel’s is really about,” she says. “Food is obviously at the forefront, but hospi- tality 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.” 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 in- gredients 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, winter- frost 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. Beyond the plate, Angelo sees Daniel’s participation as part of a broader moment for all of Broward County. For years, Fort Lau- derdale has often been overlooked in regional dining conversations. Now, with the city’s re- turn 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 to- gether three of the world’s most respected steak destina- tions (Laia, Casa Julián, and Daniel’s) for a collaborative, high-level din- ing experience. As SOBE- WFF 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. JESSE SCOTT ▼ PINECREST ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK One of Miami’s most anticipated restaurant openings of 2026 has finally set an opening date. H&H Bagels, the beloved Upper West Side bagel shop that essentially became a re- curring character in Seinfeld, is opening its first Miami location in the Suniland Shopping Center in Pinecrest on Thursday, February 19. Miamians have waited nearly two years for the legendary New York bagel shop to set an opening date, and fans are thrilled. Although most people are skeptical of a New York export because of the persistent myth that the city’s tap water is the only rea- son the bagels taste good, H&H avoids the lo- cal water issue entirely by keeping the heavy lifting in Manhattan. The dough is made and kettle-boiled at a New York City facility, then par-baked and shipped. Once the bagels arrive in Pinecrest, they are baked in specialized ovens to achieve the signature chewy crust that distinguishes a real bagel from a steamed roll. Jay Rushin, the CEO who has led the brand since 2014, told New Times in 2024 that the company had spent years refining the process to ensure consistent quality outside the Five Boroughs. “We have worked for years at making it happen, perfecting the pro- cess, and making sure that the bagels that are sitting in these baskets in bulk are the same bagels that are sitting in our baskets in New York City,” Rushin said at the time. The offerings stick to the 1970s-era staples that helped build the brand’s beloved reputa- tion. Diners will find the “Nova Salmon with the Works,” which piles cold-smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomato, onion, and ca- pers onto their choice of bagel. For those looking for a hot breakfast, the menu includes griddled sandwiches such as the classic ba- con, egg, and cheese and the “Spicy Sausage Egg and Cheese,” made with pepper jack and pickled jalapeños. For those who prefer something more modern, the “Avocado De- luxe” features hand-sliced avocado and ev- erything but the seeds. If the 2024 opening in Boca Raton is any indication, you should expect a wait during the first few days. When that location de- buted, fans started lining up at 5 a.m. “We had a line out the door until 6:30 a.m.,” Rushin told New Times about the Boca opening frenzy. “People keep coming, and the guys have been cycling to and from the oven in the back of the house every ten minutes for the last five hours. I mean, we’re doing so much volume today. The oven is running nonstop!” This Pinecrest storefront is just one piece of a massive Florida takeover that already in- cludes locations in West Palm Beach and Tampa, with another Miami location planned for Wynwood. H&H Bagels Pinecrest. 11311 S. Dixie Hwy., Pinecrest; hhbagels.com. OLEE FOWLER | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café The Louis Collection photo Daniel’s, A Florida Steakhouse, takes center stage as Fort Lauderdale returns to SOBEWFF for the festival’s 25th year. “IT REALLY SHOWS THAT THE FOOD SCENE IN BROWARD IS EVOLVING, AND THAT THE FESTIVAL IS RECOGNIZING WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE.”
