Conference Champs Page 2
A Tart Snack Page 7
New Owner Page 8
Free complimentary copy February 27, 2015 • Volume 2, No. 19
www.raytowneagle.com • 75¢
Raytown Boys Varsity Basketball Win Conference Last Friday February 20, Raytown faced a tenacious Staley team who came ready to play. If Raytown could come away with the win they would clinch the conference title, even though they still had two more games on the schedule. For the first few minutes Staley actually had the Bluejays on their heels, forcing turnovers and making shots. But about 5 or 6 minutes into the game #21 Will Nelson took off on a fast break. Being that a defender was all over him, maintaining position between him and the basket, it appeared as if he would go up for a routine layup as he jumped. As it turned out though he ended up slamming it in for the dunk with what looked like a defender practically bear hugging him! Mind you, Nelson isn’t that tall at 6’1” - 6’2” tops. That dunk is what changed the momentum hyping up the Bluejays who would dominate the rest of the game despite a high percentage shooting beyond the arc by Staley. Bluejays won 90-64 securing the White division of the Suburban Conference. On Tuesday Feb 24 they won again in convincing fashion 87-41 against Fort Osage! The Bluejays are playing hot at the right time as they get ready for post-season tournament play soon to come in March.
From China To Woodson Village, Chef Opens Raytown-To-Go By Brian Lee For the owner of the newly established Raytown-to-Go Chinese restaurant, cooking is truly a craft. Twenty years ago, Huang Jie started cooking in Chinese restaurants, in China that is. He later immigrated to New York City and worked as a chef in one of the many Chinatown restaurants that cater primarily to Chinese clientele. About 8 years ago, he moved to the Kansas City area to work as a chef where he had to learn how to prepare the Chinese food that suits the palate of us Midwestern Americans. To cook in China, one must know how to cook a plethora of different things. Chinese cook and eat a lot of things we don’t, some of which to them aren’t necessarily odd or grotesque like dog, raw snake or half-hatched baby chicks skewered on a BBQ grill. They love seafood, especially fish, virtually every kind of fish it seems. They will figure out
Huang Jie knows how to virtually cook it all. The harsh reality is that most of the food prepared in many Chinese restaurants use inferior ingredients and tons of MSG to make up for a lack of culinary skill which afterwards leaves me regretting that I ate there. And so I was so pleasantly surprised to have stumbled on the unassuming Raytown-to-Go tucked away in Woodson Village at 63rd Street and Woodson. Raytown-To-Go doesn’t indicate anything Chinese but the Chinese name on the menu means “pleasant showers”. Now, that’s more like it. The décor is much more tasteful than your typical take-out and nice enough to be a sit-down. No grime on the floor, tables or chairs and a clean bathroom. But the food is what really struck me. The ingredients are fresh and high quality and can be tailored to one’s taste. “I don’t use cheap stuff. The white rice I get is the best you can buy,” Huang Jie says, “Just let
General Tso’s and Lemon Chicken a way to make a fish edible, and no, they don’t debone. They eat sea cucumber, squid, eel as well, and vegetables, plant roots and fruit you’ll never see at our grocery stores.
me know what you prefer: more spicy, more sour, more sweet, more salty. I’ve learned the flavor profile that Americans like.” Take what I ordered last time: General Tso’s chicken. I love the
flavor but typically it is nothing but breaded meat with sauce, and a lot of times, the meat they use is fatty. I asked Huang Jie if he could add some suitable vegetables and spice it up a bit. “No problem,” he replied. I’m telling you, not only did it look more appetizing, but it was the best General Tso’s chicken I’ve ever had. Nor did I walk away feeling bloated and loaded down. I encourage you to check out Raytown-To-Go. You will find Huang Jie likely in the back cooking. Inform the hostess if you would like to tailor the dish. Most likely you won’t need to. For good healthy Chinese food at a great price, it is hard to beat.