Rough week for Goodtimes, who performed like Britney Spears this week. A scoring snafu at the Bards, a speaking snafu at the Black Sheep, and getting busted with that transvestite hooker and nitrous oxide tank led to a tough week for Philly’s premiere quizmaestro.

We start at O’Neals, where the Young, the Old, and the Restless have proven themselves to be the Robert Horry of quizzo, coming up clutch in the final round every week. Another nail biter at O’Neals, and another YOR win. They held off the Palestra Junkies and Cindy’s First Moustache, 93-89-89. I Got Nothing also finished within one question fo an with an 88.

Only two members of the Sofa Kingdom showed up at a packed Bards on Tuesday, and the result was a good old fashioned ass whooping administered by their arch rivals, the Narkotyzing Dysfunktion. The Funk came away with a 101-100 win over Polar Bears Do Not Have Money, while the Kingdom finished 5th with a 77. Tuesday also marked the return of quizzo legends The Goats, who finished 4th. But the real story was JGT missing a point that the Polar Bears should have gotten in Round Three. But it was partially the Polar Bears fault as well, as JGT would have given them the point had they requested it at any point before the match ended. Once scores have been announced, the match is over, no questions asked.

Nobody claimed the bounty at the Vous on Wednesday, as the Jams held off the Avalon Avengers, 101-93. It was their 6th straight win, and JGT is thinking of offering a bounty again this week. Quite frankly, this juggernaut needs to be stopped.

After months of frustration, the guys of Duane’s World seem to have found their groove, winning for the second week in a row, and edging the Satan’s Minions, 107-105. Lord Beer Me Strength finished 3rd with a 103. JGT fumbled through the instructions for the speed round so badly that finally someone yelled, “Are you high?” (The answer is no. Lately, I’ve had a hard time finding really good…uh, nevermind.)

No MAGMA at the Dawg on Thursday meant an easy win for a team that seems to be primed to take over MAGMA’s spot as the team to beat, 2 1/2 Armenians. The Armenians blew past Happy Birthday Gabs, 110-92, and with 3 wins in 4 weeks I think it’s fair to say that they, not MAGMA, are now the class of the Good Dog.

Sofa Kingdom, desperate to avenge their devastating loss at the Bards earlier in the week, teamed up with some ringers from the Hurtin Bombs to cruise to an easy win at a somewhat quiet Bards on Thursday. Your Mom’s Got Carrot Top in a Leglock finished 2nd.

Went with Mike of the Satan’s Minions to Top Tomato (1107 Walnut) recently to try out their pizza, and found it to be a lot better than it was the last time I tried it, which was years ago. I got the marinara with mozzarella and a buffalo chicken slice. Both were very good, the marinara being a little bit better. The red sauce is excellent. And the prices are incredibly cheap. Here was Mike’s take:
On walking in to Top Tomato, two things struck me as a bit confusing. One: where am I? The décor, while very nice and certainly way above what one expects in a pizza parlor, has the look and feel of a coffee shop in Santa Fe. Two: where’s the waiter? The various booths and tables (of which there are plenty) had numbers in little stands on each. After a minute or two with no waiter apparent, as we walked up to the counter, I was still wondering about the numbers. Perhaps they only had table service when they were busy?

Anyway, once at the counter, things took a decided turn for the better. There were at least 15 to 20 different types of slices from which to choose. And, a pleasant surprise to boot. When you go to a place with nice décor and wait service, you kind of expect the prices to be a bit on the high side. Not so here. Not only were they very reasonable ($1.75 for a plain slice), but each pie was clearly labeled with the type and price. I consider the acid test of a pizza joint to be the plain cheese slice, so I got one of those and a white slice with spinach as well.

When we paid, the wait service confusion was cleared up and we got another nice surprise. First, they gave us a number to put on our table so the counterman could bring us our hot slices when they came out of the oven. Second, they only have one size of fountain drink: all you can drink. They give you a cup and let you refill it as much as you want for a very good price. Plus, the fountain had a button for plain seltzer, which I like.

The slices were brought to our table shortly, right out of the oven. I had to do a little hunting about the restaurant for some pepper, garlic, and oregano, but other than that, it was a pretty nice lunch. The plain slice was hot, thin, and very crispy. Nothing special, but more than OK. The white slice was well above average. It had lots of spinach and big globs of ricotta all over. The ricotta was very fresh.

Overall, Top Tomato has good pizza at good prices, lots of variety, a endless soda fountain, and plenty of place to sit, all set in a nice (if somewhat un-Philadelphia like) décor. But remember, don’t wait to be seated, you’ll waste time standing that you could be eating. Overall, I give it 3.5 pepperonis.

Man, I hate giving out another 3.5, but all 3 places so far are very extremely good w/o being excellent, but I do heartily suggest all of them if you’re hungry. And Top Tomato is a borderline 4.