The Flying Tomato: Good or Bad?

The Flying Tomato is a part of the thriving downtown Springfield community. It is a restaurant that is group owned by three businesses: Trolley’s, Paolo’s Pasta & Grille and Gelato Mio. The restaurant used to be the restaurant part of Trolley’s, but in September of 2011, Trolley’s own Ryan MacDonald, Gelato Mio co-owner Andy Drennen and Paolo’s Pasta and Grille chef Paul Pentecost joined together to create the Flying Tomato(SBJ).

A mixture of location and the outside decorations make the Trolley’s and Flying Tomato duo business easy to find. It is located right off the square in downtown Springfield. The Trolley’s part of the business has a very subtle sign and decoration outside, but The Flying Tomato part has a sign that really pops and catches your attention.  The background is a bright green and it has a splattered tomato with “The Flying Tomato” across it.

What really impressed me was the environment inside the restaurant. When you walk in, the first thing you notice are the bricks covering the walls. The bricks have been arranged so that it looks like an older European city, possibly somewhere in Italy. They are a darker red color and have a rustic look to them. The bricks have been arranged into windows and in the windows are pictures of famous European landmarks. (I was happy to see that the Palace of Versailles was one of them!) Then, the next thing you notice was a small divider in the middle of the room that is painted lime green with splattered tomatoes covering it. The splattered tomatoes on the green background were a theme throughout the restaurant and I liked it a lot. I’m not sure if they were having some kind of specialty music night, but all I heard was ‘60s and ‘70s music, which I was very happy about. I would rather not listen to things like Justin Beiber or Lady Gaga when I am eating.

We were happily greeted by a waitress named Ashley, who was later our server. She was incredibly friendly and took some time to chat with us, without being overbearing and cutting into the conversation. The service was fantastic. The food got to us very quickly and we never had a dry drink.

The menu has the same theme as the sign, with the bright green and splattered tomato, but there are also faded pictures of different scenes from Italy. The Flying Tomato’s menu is separated into eleven different categories: appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches, St. Louis style thin crust pizza, specialty hand tossed pastas, traditional pastas, Flying Tomato specialties (which were mostly pastas), Ozark traditions, sides, beverages and desserts. Some of the sections could be combined and make the menu a little more compact. It made it seem like they were straining to make the menu longer. Every so often in the menu, there would be a price/price (7.29/10.69) and it had no explanation as to what that meant. After asking the waitress, though, I found out that it was a small and large pricing.

We started off with the Tuscan Spinach Dip, which I was very excited for. In the menu, it is described as, ”Made fresh from spinach and our three cheese blend. Served with tortilla chips or bread.” Yum. When ordering, we chose to go with the chips. There was a small dish of the spinach dip to one side of the platter and the rest were chips. In order to allow time for the dip to cool off, I snacked on the chips, which I found to be perfectly salted. After it cooled down, I indulged in the spinach dip. It was creamy and it was mixed very well.

The time came to order! The Flying Tomato offers a mixture of Italian and American cuisine, but the only things that really caught my eye on the menu were the pastas, so I got the Pasta Broccoli, which came with a salad for only a few dollars more. You also have the option to add chicken, which I did not do. The salad was a little larger than I would have liked. It was mostly made of iceberg lettuce with carrots, cabbage and other things. My immediate response was that it was rather bland. However, the more I ate, the sweeter the house dressing got, which I did not like. I was not able to finish the salad because I wanted to save room for the main course, but also because the sweetness of the house dressing was too extreme for me.

Then came the Pasta Broccoli! In the menu, it says the Pasta Broccoli is“Shell pasta in creamy lfredo sauce, broccoli, mushrooms and parmigiano cheese.” The presentation was simple, but very nice. It was served in a sunken down plate with herbs scattered around the edges. Starting off, the dish seemed rather bland. It tasted just like any other dish with alfredo sauce I’d before. Then the spices and herbs hit! It was a nice surprise and it added a lot to the flavor.

Name: The Flying Tomato (conjoined with Trolley’s)

What: Restaurant that serves American and Italian style cuisine

Where: 107 Park Central Square, Springfield, MO 65806

Phone: 1-417-799-0309

Environment: 5/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 5/5

The Softest of Lips!

One of my ultimate pet peeves is having lips that are chapped and dry. Up until last year, I had been using the classic ChapStick brand, but I have branched off now. I have found some of the most popular lip balm brands to be Carmex, Chapstick, Soft Lips and EOS.

Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm

 I heard about the Carmex brand from a friend of mine who raved about it, so I thought I would give it a try. I got it for $2.99 at my local Dillon's. The Moisture Plus option I got has vitamin E and aloe moisturizing protection with an SPF of 15. It has a slanted applicator and it spreads on incredibly smoothly. I didn't find the scent too pleasing at all. It smelled like they were trying to go for a vanilla scent, but there's also a strong smell of oil, which probably comes from the large amount of sunscreen that is included in this lip balm. The Carmex lasts a fair amount of time, but it gets to the point where it feels like there is just oil on your lips.
RATING: 2/5

Classic Cherry ChapStick Skin Protectant

I grew up with the ChapStick brand, so naturally, I continued using it, and for a long time, I didn't branch off to anything else. This brand can be found pretty much anywhere, but I got it at my local grocery store for $3.99, which was a package of three sticks. It has a hint of flavor and a lovely cherry scent. The application is smooth and it adds a bit of color to your lips. This chapstick lasts long, but it has a hint of stickiness when it has been on for awhile.
RATING: 4/5

Soft Lips Vanilla Lip Protectant

I found my first Soft Lips lip protectant at my local grocery store, when browsing the beauty department, for $1.49. The Soft Lips has a pleasing vanilla scent that isn't too overpowering and it has an SPF of 20. The application is very smooth, but it does not last very long and leaves you with an oily feeling on your lips.
RATING: 3/5

Summer Fruit and Sweet Mint EOS Lip Balm

The EOS lip balm is another item that I heard about from missglamorazzi, a beauty guru on YouTube. I stumbled upon it when in line for the cashier at Wal-Mart, so I bought both the Sweet Mint and the Summer Fruit, which were each $2.89. This lip balm is 100% natural and it is not tested on animals. The EOS lip balm is flavored and scented, which is something I prefer in my lip balm. There is a slight resistance when the EOS lip balm is first applied, but this only lasts the first few times it is used. I found the Summer Fruit scent to be a bit too strong, but I really liked the Sweet Mint.
RATING: 5/5

The missglamorazzi video in which 

I first heard about the EOS lip balm. 

Battle of the Facial Cleansers!

I have always had very clear skin, and the most acne I would ever have at one time was one pimple. Yep, I was pretty lucky! However, when I reached college, that changed. This was most likely because of the stress that came along with college. 

 This product is most effective when the face is washed before applying because this is not a face wash. The Stridex pads should be used only to cure the acne, not to clean the face. When using this product, be sure to spread it all over your face and allow it to soak into your skin because not only does it cure acne, but it also helps to prevent future breakouts.  I started using the Stridex pads because this was what my older brother and sister always used, and I never really had a problem with it. It got to the point, though, where the Stridex pads weren't clearing up my acne as well as they used to and all they were doing was drying out my skin. The Stridex Sensitive Pads generally come with 55 pads that have been soaked in .5% salicylic acid, which is the acne medication. The salicylic acid is the active ingredient, but it doesn't tell the consumer what the inactive ingredients are. 

I heard about the Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser from missglamorazzi, who is a beauty guru on YouTube. From what she says, we have the same kind of skin, so I thought I would give this a try. It’s definitely a bit different than the Stridex pads and possible a bit more work. For application, you pump out as much cleanser as you think you need (I use about two and a half pumps) onto either an application pad or just use your hands. If you use your hands, it would be best to wash them before, so you don’t get the oil from your hands onto your face, which can make acne worse. This cleanser obviously come out in a foam and it doesn't change to a complete liquid. As long as you continue lathering it on your face, it continues to be a foam. I started using this in my morning and evening facial routines two days ago and I'm already seeing a difference. The redness in the acne has gone down and some of the pimples have even disappeared. 

The video in which missglamorazzi talks about the Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser.

I have fairly oily and sensitive skin, which makes my skin more susceptible to breakouts, and the Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser is really helping with my acne problem. Of course, just as with all skin products, it will depend on the type of skin that you have.