Cayman Islands

Florida Man Nearly Dies After Swallowing Two Pounds of Coke on Cruise

Ever get home and regret eating that gas-station hot dog earlier in the day? You got nothing on Norman Mosch. Or maybe you have a friend who always talks you into doing stuff you inevitably question later, like that extra shot of Patrón at LIV? Norman Mosch scoffs at your woe.Police say Mosch, 65, ... More >>

U.K. Plays at Grand Central March 30

Federal Tax Loopholes: Big Corporations Profit From This Mafia-Like Protection Scheme

Norman Braman Registers Boat in the Caymans to Avoid U.S. Fees

Norman Braman Dodges Taxes For His Yacht, Kisses

For the past couple of years, Norman Braman has carefully crafted his image as a do-gooder billionaire and civic activist by leading the recall of former Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Alvarez and, more recently, financing opponents against four sitting county commissioners because they saddled taxpayers w ... More >>

Can Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Keep Dengue Fever Away From Key West?

Attorney General Pam Bondi Mysteriously Canceled Her Cayman Islands Wedding This Weekend

By all accounts, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was supposed to fly this weekend to a lavish luxury resort with a couple dozen of her closest friends, family and colleagues (including Gov. Rick Scott) and tie the knot with her fiance, Dr. Greg Henderson. Then something happened. No one is actual ... More >>

SoBeWFF: Hedy Goldsmith and Diet Pepsi Team Up at Trucks on the Beach

​Hedy Goldsmith and Diet Pepsi have teamed up for a trucking excursion to the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. You can catch them at Sunday night's "Trucks on the Beach" event, where Hedy's signature chocolate chunk cookies (with a hint of Maldon salt on top) will be handed out - ... More >>

Mitt Romney's Tax Forms' Craziest Revelations: Swiss Accounts, Mormon Payouts, Low Taxes

​Mitt Romney released his tax filings late last night as he desperately tries to run down Newt Gingrich's ballooning lead in Florida, telling a Tampa audience: "I'm proud of the fact that I pay a lot of taxes."But in the harsh light of morning, it's hard to see how Floridians will be swayed by see ... More >>

Time for Miami Tax Evaders to Come Forward, Warns Local Attorney

The days of hidden offshore accounts are drawing to an end, it seems​Not everyone in Miami is on the up & up. Sure, your neighbor could have bought that brand-new Mercedes-Benz with the Christmas bonus. Or it could have been that narco slush fund in the Cayman Islands. The truth is that ... More >>

Gigi's, Jimmy'z, Tapas y Tintos: Can Second Restaurants Equal Their Forebears?

​For a popular restaurant to spawn a second locale is nothing new. Indeed, some restaurateurs claim that this is the only way to start seeing any real profits. Until recently, however, this phenomenon hasn't happened much in these parts. Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, Le Sandwicherie, Sushi Maki and nu ... More >>

The Strange Boys Talk Bruise Cruise, Urinating in Public, and Future Plans

Photo by Jose FloresStrange Boys, bred in Austin, Texas.​When the Strange Boys played Churchill's last September, our review was, well, a bit harsh. "The band appeared to be catching a cold," we wrote, "seemingly disinterested in their songs, and even less interested in the crowd." But in the ... More >>

Ortanique in Grand Cayman, Ducasse in Puerto Rico

File under "So Near And Yet So Far"...Ortanique opened in Grand Cayman last week, joining Michael's Genuine Food & Drink as well as Eric Ripert's Blue (in the Ritz-Carlton). Executive chef is Sara Mair, a Caribbean native best known as a contestant on Top Chef: Miami, but who was also chef ... More >>

Plato Royale: Hummus at Mykonos and Books & Books

Hummus was around during ancient Egyptian times. Cleopatra was probably hand-fed the stuff between grapes while men fanned her. So how is it that after thousands of years of practice, so many eateries prepare crappy renditions of the simple dish? Locally, you can find plenty of spots that need new h ... More >>

Photos: Michael's Genuine Food & Drink Cayman Islands Grand Opening

Photo by Jackie SayetMichael Genuine Food & Drink Cayman Island outpost.​South Florida foodies food people already know that James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz has been busy opening a second outpost of his popular Design District restaurant Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in th ... More >>

Better Halves: Interview with Ottavia Busia Bourdain

Ottavia BourdainOttavia and her husband, Anthony Bourdain, relax with some banana daquiris at the Raleigh Hotel pool on South Beach.​If you're familiar with food porn, Ottavia's last name should ring a bell. Her husband is print, television, and most recently Martha Stewart Living radio food porno ... More >>

Weekend Blog Watch: MGFD, NAOE, Broccoli Raab, Slow Fish, and Ounce Math

Gut reaction to Michael's opening in the Caymans. [PowerRankings]NAOE continues to rock worlds, point, blank, period. [Chowfather]Local CSA member ruminates on broccoli raab, and how to prepare it. [EatingLocal]Shooting Michael's Genuine cook book. [GenuineKitchen]Exploring local seafood sourcing fo ... More >>

Dalia Dippolito might have tried to kill her husband, but he was no saintly victim

Cayman Cookout Chef Interview: Host Eric Ripert Shares How to Eat Local On-Island, Proves Chivalry is not Dead

If you have your pointer finger on the pulse of the global food community and its star chefs, you would know this past weekend was the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman's second annual Cayman Cookout.  We're speaking of the island rendezvous of illustrious professional cooks including Jose Andrés, Da ... More >>

Weekend Blog Watch: Alta Closina, More Dim Sum, Texas Fries, The Caymans, Momofuku, and TV

South Miami's Alta Cocina is closed, closed, closed. [PowerRankings]Another report from Hakkasan dim sum, words and pictures. [Gagit]French Fry Fairy finds pretty good fries at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, Texas. [FFF]Michael's local cabbage kimchi production in the Caymans. [GenuineKitchen]Frodnesor ... More >>

Cayman Correspondence: Post-Flight Sushi at Taikun, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

Jackie Sayet​Taikun is an ancient Japanese term of respect from which the English 'tycoon' is derived.At The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, the sushi at its Japanese lobby bar, Taikun, didn't live up to its name or make for a remarkable meal by discerning standards, but it filled a void left from fli ... More >>

Is It Just Us, or Does This Boston Globe Story Look Familiar? (Updated With Response from the Globe)

​They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. We haven't been quite this flattered in a very long time.Three weeks ago, Riptide published a story about the very drastic fall of former pro basketball player Rumeal Robinson. We used court documents filed in Miami-Dade court and a revealing in ... More >>

Hoops hero Rumeal Robinson lost his Maserati, machine gun, and mom

How Hoops Hero Rumeal Robinson Lost His Guns, Cars, Stripper Girlfriend... and Even his Mama's House

Robinson blew $20,000 a night on strippers, his brother claims.With three seconds left in the game and his University of Michigan squad trailing Seton Hall by one point, 22-year old guard Rumeal Robinson lined up for two all-important free throws. The NCAA Division 1 basketball title hung in t ... More >>

Patrick Bachelier, a Gary's Seafood Salesman, Talks High Quality Fish Product

image via GarySeafood.comCold....so cold Patrick Bachelier sells fresh, high quality seafood and specialty products to some of the finest, quality minded chefs in South Florida, like Michelle Bernstein. He is the tri-county and Caribbean salesman for Gary's Seafood, an Orlando company that has been ... More >>

Renegade Road

A woman perishes in a collision with an Indian leader's kin. Her family cries coverup.

Feds Bust Yacht Pimped Out With Endangered Animal Hides, Tusks

Listen up, foreign billionaires who enjoy pimping out your pleasure yachts with the finest in endangered African animal skins: You might want to keep that luxury boat away from Florida.You won't find Acosta's pad decorated like this, apparently.Surrounded by stuffed lions, mounted, roaring tiger hea ... More >>

Pint-Size Preacher

Terry Durham might be some kind of prophet. The question is: Who profits?

Back on the Sun

Curt and Cris Kirkwood reunite the Meat Puppets

Killer Creativity

Miami-Dade's Forensic Art Unit draws a bead on crime

Forever Missing Part 2

Donna Weaver hoped to get help from the FBI in finding her husband. Instead she got crooked agents working with violent drug dealers

The Last Deep Dive

Pipin Ferreras and his wife Audrey repeatedly challenged the deep blue deadly sea. Finally the sea won.

The Honker Is Cooked

What's in a name? Not much when talking about the jet-setting Goose Club diners

Swimming with the Sharks

An eight-year-old's severed arm and a broker's chewed-off leg aren't enough to convince Florida to ban interactive diving

Pain & Gain, Part 2

Miami's Sun Gym gang developed a taste for blood and money. The police could have stopped them before they killed somebody. But they didn't.

Pain & Gain

They were local bodybuilders with a penchant for steroids, strippers, and quick cash. And they became expert in the use of a peculiar motivational tool: Torture.

Bum Voyage

Six passengers were kicked off a cruise ship in a foreign land. Their crime? Tobacco possession.

Nice Indictment, Nobody Home

When there's a huge drug trial in Miami and no one watches it, does it even matter?

The Telltale Corpse

Ed Whittaker, Dade's leading criminalist, finds a lively story in every dead body

Wet Sounds

Mortgaging His Future

Bruce Kaplan's Big Heart

Calendar for the week

Blurred Vision

By Appointment Only

What could be more exciting and fulfilling than the life of a consul? Well, lots of things, actually.

Repel A Law

A Tale of Tent City

Last spring, when Dade County united with a local charity to help the hurricane's homeless, the partnership sounded too good to be true. It was.

Science Affliction

The Island Club

So the Mavericks are a hit in the Caymans. What's wrong with America? Could it be A radio?

Program Notes