LINK Streetscapes: Ritchie Avenue in Crescent Springs Powered by Duke Energy

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIA HEHMAN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

The Ritchie Avenue area of Crescent Springs is right off the expressway, and there are so many hidden gems.

Sweet Basil: 2520 Hazelwood Circle

This small spot used to be Rima’s Diner, which was one of my grandma’s favorite places to take me and my siblings. When they closed down, I was sad to see them go, but thankfully they were replaced by Sweet Basil.

Sweet Basil has a variety of options. They are a Thai and sushi bar, making it easy to find a dish everyone will like. While I don’t crave sushi, I seek out Thai food all the time, and I find myself coming back to Sweet Basil for each craving.

Though the inside is cozy, service is quick and so is finding a seat. Large groups should make a reservation online.

When I visit Sweet Basil with a friend, she always orders adventurous sushi rolls, mixing up classic California rolls with an eel roll. Meanwhile, I stick with a low-heat pad thai and a Thai iced tea. And that’s what I love about Sweet Basil – they have options for both safe and daring palates.

I also enjoy the gyoza and wonton soup. The prices and huge portions make it easy to come back for more.

Miyako Sushi and Steakhouse: 2511 Ritchie Ave.

In high school this was the place to be. I had two classmates who sat in front of me in my last class of the day, and every day they would plan to go to Miyako after school.

Like Sweet Basil, they offer sushi and more. However, Miyako doubles as a steakhouse with hibachi grills.

The hibachi offers a show as the food is made right in front of guests. High-end atmosphere and entertaining chefs make it an easy choice for a large group or simple sitdown experience.

I highly recommend reservations online, as the hibachi side quickly runs out of space.

Moonrise Donuts: 2513 Ritchie Ave.

When Moonrise Donuts opened earlier this year, you would think it was the first and only donut shop in all of Kentucky. It was madness, but the popularity and anticipation was largely due to their Latonia location’s success. People were anxious to have another store to find these tasty treats.

The biggest difference in this location from their famous Latonia spot, is that this one operates in the mornings, as the original operates at night.

You do have to visit fairly early in the morning to catch them before they close at noon. Early risers can get a head start on the crowds, if they show up at 6 a.m. when the shop opens.

For those who need an extra hour of sleep, Moonrise lets you preorder donuts online a day in advance. All you have to do is roll in and pick them up. The flavors rotate often but there is nothing like a hot, fresh donut on a cold morning.

For donuts of this high a caliber, they are easy on the pocket book. So really, the only worry here is choosing the right donuts to make the perfect dozen.

Framed NKY: 2519 Ritchie Ave.

Though this is a custom frame store, I very first came upon Framed NKY for reasons one would not expect. My siblings and I wanted to transfer old home videos from VHS tapes onto DVDs for our parents as a gift. We did our research and found that Framed offered just that. It was a quick, easy process and the staff was very attentive, assuring everything was perfect.

The gurus at Framed also source local art, and can put buyers in touch with artists for customized pieces.

After seeing how much my parents loved the gift, we took more home tapes back to Framed to be transferred. Gifts like this are priceless and the extra care they took in helping us was amazing that I will definitely be back to utilize their many other services.

Have a city, street, business you want me to check out next? Email me at mchehman@ gmail.com and it could be featured on the next installment of LINK streetscapes.

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Women’s high school hoops teams prepare for season openers

The Walton-Verona Bearcats open the season Nov. 29 at home against Conner High School. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

The Bearcats finished 15-14, winning a fourth-straight district championship when point guard Audrey Carrico hit a jumper as time expired. The team’s post-season road ended in a loss to Spencer County in the region quarterfinals.

Last year, they outscored opponents, 16481459 and grabbed 779 rebounds. This year, the Bearcats hope to push the tempo and run the motion halfcourt offense and a mixture of zone and man defenses.

The Simon Kenton Pioneers open the season at home Nov. 28 against the defending All “A” state champion Owen County Rebels at 7:30 p.m.

This year, the Pioneers are led by former assistant coach Brenden Stowers – son to former head coach Jeffrey Stowers, who retired last season.

The Pioneers finished 17-13 last year, losing 77-67 to Anderson County in the region quarterfinals. They also lost 56-54 to Walton-Verona in the district title game. Simon Kenton graduated three starting seniors from that team, guards Alexis Baker and Teanna Griffin, and center Sereniti Webb. returning starters are senior forward Emilee Eggleston and eighth grade guard Brynli Pernell. Freshman forward/guard Anna Kelch had eight to 10 starts down the stretch. Eggleston averaged 10.6 points per game.

This year, the Pioneers hope to play an up-tempo style of basketball, pressuring the basketball and running the motion offense in the halfcourt and play mostly a man-to-man defense.

Norse women’s basketball team wins triple-overtime season opener

The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team needed three overtime sessions to outscore old Atlantic Sun foe Lipscomb Bison, 101-95 in the season opener Thursday at Truist Bank Arena. The visitors from Nashville fell to 0-2 on the young season.

NKU had many chances to close out the game before the third overtime but the Norse missed some key shots and free throws. NKU made 33 of 73 shots overall for 45 percent including 5 of 19 from threepoint range for 26 percent and just 30 of 53 free throws for 57 percent.

Head coach Camryn Whitaker came into the postgame press conference and said she’d never been part of a game like that.

Only three NKY teams survive second round of football playoffs

The second round of the Kentucky high school football playoffs brought the end of the season for seven local teams.

Three managed to march on to the third round, the quarterfinals.

The night claimed some of the region’s top teams, including Highlands High School and Covington Catholic, as well as Bishop Brossart and Simon Kenton.

Lloyd High dispatched the Walton-Verona Bearcats in the only pairing of local teams, while Dayton could not build on their previous momentum and lost on the road in Louisville.

Ryle High School also lost on the road in Louisville against Louisville Ballard.

Thomas More QB ties school record for passing touchdowns

Thomas More University recently won in a big way, starting with a great finish for the Saints’ football season. They finished with a 43-10 Mid-South Conference romp over the University of the Cumberlands.

Quarterback Blaine Espinosa tied a program record with five passing touchdowns, throwing for 254 yards and running for 23 and a touchdown. That equaled Justin Post’s five in a 2019 game against Kentucky Christian.

In the same weekend, the TMU men’s basketball team won 87-62 against Kent State-Tuscawaras in the Connor Classic.