2013 MD Burbs Elite Holiday Party @ Timpanos

I just want to start off by saying that Unilocalers really know how to make a great White Elephant Gift exchange. I was explaining to my friend who I brought as my +1 the gifts that were given at my job’s White Elephant, and she simply said « Unilocal was better.» Yes, yes it was! I ended up with a very useful red scarf, but I liked the variety of gifts that were given.
I loved the event space at Timpano’s that we were able to take over. All the booths were filled and it looked like people were at all the tabletops, but we still had more than enough room to walk around without squeezing in between people, which is not always the case at Unilocal events.
Because I’m a sugar fanatic, my favorite dish was the baked pear sticks. I also loved the Lemon Drop drink! I’ll try my best to use my gift card on more than just dessert though. Timpano’s makes great real food too!

Happy holidays, Unilocal Elites! What an amazing Xmas party at Timpanos!
Nothing gets a party off on the right foot like some great cocktails. And these did not disappoint! The spiked eggnog was tasty and homey, and the candy cane martini drink was sweet and easy to sip… quickly! I was more than impressed with the spread– everything from prosciutto wrapped shrimp to fancy lamb chops, duck confit, ahi, and more. The food was absolutely delicious. And we even got to meet the chefs and GM– something I’m not really used to doing at Unilocal events (this could be because I’m new to the east coast!) But it really was fun to meet the smiling faces behind the fun event. [Santa] hats off to Mike B for a well-​organized, fun, mouthwateringly fantastic Xmas party! And omg thanks to the oh-​so-​generous Timpanos for their amazing gift to us; I’ll be back to use my gift card before they know it!
See y’all in 2014, Elites. Can’t wait for another year Unilocaling, and this time with my new MD Burbs fam!

Wow. This was the perfect way to end a Unilocaltastic year. I’ve heard about the recent changes in management at Timpano’s and that there were massive improvements from the past. However, I was a bit reluctant to take the risk and I think the Unilocal event was a fantastic opportunity for Timpano’s to showcase their recent improvements.
Timpano’s price point follows along the mid to low upper scale pricing points (at around ~$ 30 for a steak) for steak restaurants (e.g. Ray’s the Steaks price points). The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and gives you a vibe of a place where you go for family dinner.
For this Unilocal event, we were able to sample at least 13… say 15 or so dishes of meats, vegetables, soups, and salads. The generosity of Timpano’s in allowing us to sample such a large selection speaks volumes about how serious they are in showcasing their turnaround efforts. The service was absolutely remarkable and I commend the experienced wait staff for being extremely attentive and friendly.
The food was fantastic and in particular I would like to emphasize the mussel dish that Mike B. our community manager recommends. This dish is packed full of flavors and in my opinion, was the winner of all the dishes that were served in the restaurant.
While the food was excellent, there were plenty of exciting events planned including theX-​mas gift exchange (or should I say stealing?). As much as that was exciting, I was too busy making my Xmas cards in the corner using rubber stamps and ink that were purchased from local shops (where’d you get this mike?).
In sum, I think Timpano’s was a great place to wrap up a wonderful and Unilocaltastic year. As a a final comment, I would like to note that Mike B, our community manager, HAND WROTE over 50+ cards for all elite members who attended the event (yes I wrote that right). Although the common saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words, in this circumstance words are worth more than a thousand pictures. I cannot express how touched I was receiving a handwritten letter from you in this impersonal electronic era. Thank you very much Mike for giving us the opportunity to attend these wonderful events and I look forward to attending fantastic events in 2014!

First ever MD Burbs Elite event with the fabulous Mike B and it was beyond awesome!
It was obvious that there was a lot of thought and effort put into this event by both Mike B and the Timpanos gang. WOW!
I’m not sure how much I can add that my fellow Unilocalers haven’t already mentioned. I agree on all fronts that the place was beautiful, our even was set up well, there was an abundance of delicious foods (my favorites being the antipasto skewers and the assortment of brats), the staff were friendly and regularly circled around to either bring more foods to the table or clear off plates. The holiday cocktails were delicious, but I must say the Champagne Lemon Drop was my favorite.
I’m not usually a fan of the White Elephant gift exchange game, but this was the most fun I’ve had while participating in one. There were many laughs and some pretty decent gifts for the $ 10 limit!
I must say that I left this event feeling extra special. Mike B gave us all HAND WRITTEN holiday cards (not too many people do this anymore) and the good people at Timpanos were very generous with our parting gift. This event was very memorable and I look forward to coming back to Timpanos and other MD Burbs Elite events!

I had an absolute fabulous time! Michael, this one really was one of the best events of the year! I enjoyed the duck confit and bacon wrapped prawns the most. This was an excellent event composed of Christmas gifts, caroling by the piano, and an overall great time! I did not partake in the card making station, but I did see some lovely creations from those who did go there.
Timpano’s did a great job hosting us! Service, food, and the managers were very nice. The piano player (his name escapes me) really lightened the spirit. I was one of the volunteers who went over and sang without having alcohol involved. he he I have zero negative feedback about this event. This was a great event to conclude the year!

Yay! I finally got a chance to meet THE Mike B and partake in one of his legendary events (kinda wish I had started at Luke’s Lobster but it wasn’t meant to be). I had never been to Timpanos and didn’t know what to expect, but it was a great venue. With their piano, we were able to sing holiday songs with a professional pianist that was hired just for the event. It was better than a DJ! (And Maryland Unilocalers sounded surprisingly good). Mike B even printed out pages of song lyrics… Awwww.
As others have mentioned, Timpanos pulled out all the stops on the food and drink offerings. I was so grateful for the hot spiced apple cider — a holiday beverage that I can drink! Thank you for keeping the sober folks in mind. There was also an assortment of adult beverages from egg nog to the popular lemon drop champagne… very festive! On each table was a generous serving of Timpanos’ famous mussels! If I ate mussels, I would be a little more excited… but it looked nice. In addition to the impressive veggie and cheese platters, antipasto skewers, rolls, and fruit bowls, there was an assortment of sausages and sauces, and a delicious pear dessert. But the passed hors d’oeuvres were the stars… lamb chops, tuna tartare, shrimp, duck, and even a pumpkin spice cake with a side of ice cream… YES…this really happened!
The white elephant gift exchange made gift giving a lot more… interesting. I like that it did give more people an opportunity to receive a gift that they would appreciate, rather than a gift most people could not use. Note for next time, everyone tries to steal the alcohol, so I guess that’s a «good «gift. And as a parting gift, the restaurant gave us all $ 30 coupons. I’m sure most of us will be back. Oh yes, some people made beautiful holiday cards at the card-​making area… I appreciate that there were different activities.
Thanks to Mike B and everyone involved for making this party a success. MD Burbs is definitely on my radar now.

Multiple margarita mix — Mini Etch-​a-​Sketch — Cocktail shaker = White Elephant Success
That was the order of gifts I opened or stole from others to close out this awesome YEE holiday party, making it one of the most entertaining and fun gift exchanges I’ve ever experienced. The number of gifts by the attendees varied from chintzy to cool, which led to interesting decisions by everyone as their number was called.
Wait…so, let’s go back to the beginning. We arrived slightly late, but still got signed in quickly and put our drink tickets to work immediately. Round one was the Candy Cane cocktail, which was decent and creative. But round two was their eggnog, which was amazing. I wish I could have cloned my drink tickets and returned for a few more rounds.
The food? Also amazing, with a wide variety of options spread across the tables and being served by a number of servers. I think I grabbed a little of everything, including a small cup of lobster bisque, mini-​sausages/​kielbasa, antipasto skewers, lamb chops, ahi tuna on cracker spoons (Can I eat this? Crunch! Yes.), duck confit, large bacon-​wrapped shrimp (took and ate a multiple number of those suckers) and a sweet pumpkin cheesecake dessert. There was also a waffle cone fruit cocktail, but I never made it that far.
To keep the holiday spirit flowing, Christmas carols kicked off at the piano, channeling a number of Unilocalers’ inner Mariah Careys and Michael Boltons. The musical interlude was eventually followed by the White Elephant gift exchange, which I already mentioned was a ton of fun.
Plus, we all left with a personalized holiday card from our master CM, Mike B., and a $ 30 gift certificate from Timpanos, which was totally unexpected, but much appreciated! A huge thanks to them and everyone else involved in closing out the 2013 Unilocal year with a bang. See ya in Elite ’14!

Seriously, can I give this 6 stars?
Some events truly make you stop and stand there with your mouth open like an idiot, desperately trying to find something to critique; this was one of those events. I tried to write this review last night but was getting nowhere. Apparently I needed some time to let the awesomeness soak in.
First, a HUGE thank you to Mike B. for including me in the MD Burbs crew, I can’t wait to join in more Elite events in this area and hang with the amazing people we met. It was great to meet new friends and of course see my Unilocalers in Crime… Brandi, Chris, Megan, Hanna, Mischita and everyone else I am forgetting to name!
We arrived a Timpano’s Chophouse a little before 1:00pm and had a quick chat with Mike B., then had a seat at the bar to allow him a little more time to set up. Within moments the room started to develop the unmistaken scent of yummy food as tray after tray made its way into the party area that had been reserved for us Elites.
I guess it’s proper to start with the food… and my waistline can certainly attest to the deliciousness of what was served. The was a station of sausages served with hot peppers and whole grain mustard, a beautiful artisan cheese plate, meat skewers adorned with cherry peppers, artichokes and cheeses, the largest veggie platter I have ever seen, all served buffet style. In addition to all of this, there was a stone platter of salted mussels delivered to our table as well servers walking around with plate after plate of bacon wrapped shrimp and tuna tartar. I hear there was lobster bisque too, but I must have turned my back for too long and missed it. I am almost 100% positive that I am missing some of the offerings but there were just so many I needed a note pad.
The desserts were a waffle cone bowl filled with fresh fruit, a pear tart that was wrapped similar to a cigar shape and this to die for pumpkin french toast. — Seriously, I could have eaten those pear things all day.
The drinks stations were so fun… hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks, cucumber infused water, a cash wine bar, eggnog, a candy cane martini garnished with a candy cane of course and my favorite a lemon drop champagne cocktail garnished with candied lemon peel.
We had a very talented pianist directing us in a few Christmas songs… there were even a few hoots and hollers made for the Skins game that was going on at the same time.
I didn’t get a chance to partake in the card making station (I was too busy eating), but it looked fun!
We played the White Elephant gift exchange game which brought a lot of laughs. We learned that the general consensus of NoVa Elites is to put their gift down their shirts and pray nobody steels them. There were lots of laughs to be had.
Right before we left each of us was handed a personalized Christmas card hand written by Mike B, WOW, talk about making a group of people feel special!
As if all of the above wasn’t cool enough, leaving the party we were each handed a $ 30.00 gift card to Timpano’s by the Event Planner, Stevie.
Another thing I want to comment on was the fact that the Manager, the Event Planner, the Chef and the Sous Chef all came out at different intervals to speak with us and tell us the future plans of Timpano’s. It’s always so nice to see the people behind the scenes making these wonderful events happen!
Mike B… two enthusiastic thumbs up! Looking forward to the next MD Burbs event and heading back out to Timpanos!

Nothing could have made this event even the slighted bit merrier. Delicious drinks invented just for us. Boozy eggnog — delish! Lemon Drop Champagne — fabulous! Steaming mounds of mussels — salty, but good. Little squares of a tasty dessert — can’t get any better than that!
The pass around appetizers were a special treat for those of us wedged in a booth. Bacon wrapped shrimp, duck, lamb, tuna tartare… it just kept coming, and coming.
Secret Santa became a bit cut throat towards the end, but proved to be a success. I walked away with a bag of chocolates, which most girls can’t resist.
Several Unilocalers gathered around the piano to sing Christmas carols. The spirit of Christmas filled the air (and covered my pitiful singing skills).
As we said our goodbyes we were sent off with a $ 30 gift certificate to use on a future visit in January or February. Thank you to the General Manager, Kurt, and the Event Sales Manager, Stevy for making us all feel welcomed.
Perhaps the best memory of the event was the hand written Unilocal Holiday card that Mike B. gave to each and every Elite in attendance at the event. They had personalized messages on them, which just goes to show you that Mike B. has a heart 1,000 times the size of the Grinch’s.

UH HUH HONEY– Mike pulled out all the stops for us on this Holiday party @ Timpanos. From start to finish– I was soooo satisfied & happy that I was able to be a part of this celebration.
The Food– BOMB!
I mean really the prosciutto wrapped jumbo shrimp (see pic) — I don’t even eat shrimp but I ate a few of those. The duck confit (see pic) & mussels were both tasty as well but the Sausage bar – who doesn’t love a good sausage ?? This bar had three types– each was delicious and tasty in its own way.
The Drinks-​BOMB!
Spiked Eggnog & Cranberry Martini-​Mike was smart to only give two drink tickets otherwise I could’ve easily overindulged on both. The apple cider (non-​alcoholic) with the cinnamon stick to add was also a warm welcome with the blistery wind outside.
The Entertainment– FUN!
I opted to make a few greeting cards while I was serenaded my many Unilocalers carolling at the piano (you don’t want me to ruin the party with my voice-​trust me). The greeting card station had tons of goodies for me to jazz up my cards — even ribbon! But the most entertaining was of course the White Elephant gift exchange. Watching ppl steal the alcohol gifts and that Doctor Who lunchbox repeatedly was such a hoot. I waited patiently to see who would get my «party in a bag» aka a stash of alcohol minis to spice up any drink you may have this holiday season and even that was stolen. Hilarious!
I really appreciated the hand written Christmas card from Mike B. –talk about time & effort because I saw him with a stack of like 50 cards! I’ll definitely be back to Timpanos– not just because they gave me a $ 30 gift card but because the place was great.
To Mike B — thanks again Honey!

Awesome Elite event at Timpano’s. I haven’t been back here in years and was impressed with the food and service. Highlights were the prawn shrimp wrapped in prosciutto, duck confit, tuna tartar and the mussels and the candy cane cocktail.
Thanks Mike for arranging this awesome event. We will definitely be back at Timpano’s to use their gift. Loved the food, sing a long and White Elephant gifts. We did cause some bar patrons to leave during the sing a long– get in the Christmas spirit people!

WOW WOW WOW — those are the three words I choose to describe my first-​ever MD Burbs Elite Event with Mike B. ! I was so excited to be chosen to attend the holiday party at Timpano with Mike, Billy, and the rest of the MD Burb Elites!
I have to say that the setup, the atmosphere, the food, the drinks, and the company will remain in my mind as one of the best overall events I have been to as an Elite. Timpano Chop House played a delightful host — not only were there several tables of hot and cold appetizers, drinks, desserts, fruit, and cider, but waitstaff were coming around to all of the tables, offering us even more delightful samples from their extensive menu!
The drink coupons afforded me the opportunity to imbibe with two signature holiday cocktails — the lemondrop was awesome! I also particularly enjoyed the spicy kielbasa, fruit-​in-​a-​waffle-​bowl, bacon-​wrapped jumpo shrimp, and the humongous antipasti skewers! The other highlight was enjoying all of this lovely food while listening to fellow Unilocalers sing along to carols played at the piano; in fact Hannah H. and I thought there were actual carolers entertaining us, but nope — it was the skilled vocal cords of our community of Unilocalers!
I love Jodi C.‘s review of how she wishes she could give this event 6 stars — amen, sista! It was great to catch up with new and existing Unilocal friends, including my NoVA friends and new MD Burbs pals — what a great group!
We also were fortunate enough to partake in a hilariously entertaining White Elephant gift exchange, which included several folks stealing and re-​stealing bottles of wine, prosecco, and mini airplane bottles (the «party in a bag»); and that Dr. Who lunchbox and martini shaker were big hits as well! I was just happy I was able to go home with a box of beloved New Orleans hot sauces, allowing me to continue to live up to my alias and reputation as the Spice Fiend!
Thank you, Mike B. and Timpano for the amazing event and great company! The hubby and I look forward to the opportunity to attend future MD Burbs events as well as our return trips to Timpano!

WOW! Thank you Mike and the staff of Timpanos an oft overlooked restaurant that we have passed over time and again. No more! Thank you to everyone for a magical memory making experience. PERFECT! Mike even when you aren’t feeling well you are the host with the most! EVERYTHING from the food and cocktails were simple superb! The quality and quantity of the food was over the top. I don’t know what I enjoyed the most because it was all simply AMAZING. The Secret Santa was a blast and the ambience truly exemplary! Kudos to the staff and Mike for a GREAT find!

Oooooooooo, I was so excited to be able to attend the Holiday Party at Timpano’s, hosted by MIKE! Each of the attendees brought a White Elephant gift. I scored a Hello Kitty nightlight — thank you, Megan/​Anthony!!! The staff were super friendly, and the food at Timpano’s were in abundance: Spicy Pepper-​Sundried Tomato Italian Sausage (to be dipped in either Pommery Mustard or Red Pepper and Basil Aioli — I loved both), Dark Ale Bratwurst, Garlic and Sage Kielbasa, Trio of Italian Sausage, Crispy Baked Pear Sticks (a unique dessert item), a nice Artisan Cheese Display, Fa-​la-​la Fruit Waffle Bowl (the fruit slices were sweet and fresh), Antipasta Skewers (big chunks of artichokes, salami, and gouda cheese — yum!), big jumbo shrimp (yum!), Duck Confit (in little phyllo bowls — tasted like a nice juicy dark chicken meat — not gamey at all), tuna tartar on an edible spoon, and pumpkin graham cake (yummy!!!)! There was a pianist, Gheran Goddard, playing some holiday music so that everyone can sing along. I am a huge greeting cards collector, so I was ecstatic that there was a greeting cards making section — whoo hoo! Stevie, the manager, was extremely gracious and so unbelievably nice — he made the Apple Spice (spiked) Cider that was actually pretty good, and there was also cucumber water for the non-​alcoholics. Drink specials were also available by the bartenders. We all left with a $ 30 restaurant credit to revisit them again as well as a beautiful personalized note from Mike — SO SWEET! THANKS FOR THE HOLIDAY CHEER, MIKE!
+White Elephant gift exchange: D
+Spicy Pepper-​Sundried Tomato Italian Sausage
+Antipasta Skewers
+Jumbo Shrimp
+Duck Confit
+Crispy Baked Pear Sticks

Wow… and that’s the understatement!
Proscuitto & bacon wrapped gi-​normous shrimp? Those were a meal all by themselves! Gotta mention the famous pan-​seareed kosher salt n oil mussels served sizzling hot in the pan!
As for the rest of the unbelievable spread, my fellow Unilocalers have already covered that with the exception of the «strawberry sugarcane» drink that was as yummy as it was potent! (Who would have ever thought to crush candy canes and then «rim» the glass in that instead of salt?! Good. make that GREAT call!)
The «secret Santa» game had me in hysterics. I briefly HAD the cool looking cocktail shaker alluded to in another review but then it was «stolen» from me :((Since I then got to «steal» someone else’s gift, I made a bee-​line for the Britney Spears CD that Mike B. was clutching… As I was walking away with it, some kind Unilocaler took pity on me and said «so, how D-​I-​D you like being Elite???» (pause…2…3…4…)
«Oh» I said looking befuddled until the light dawned on me: you don’t «gift-​steal» your host’s prize posession… especially when he also happens to be your CM!
Case closed!
As far as I know, Mike B. is happily off listening to Britney and planning his next fan-​tab-​ulous party!
Truly the best Unilocal party I’ve ever been to!
Thanks Mike…
and psssst…
say hello to Britney for me! ;-)))))

What a fantastic holiday party!!! Thanks to Mike and fhe entire staff at Timpano’s for organizing this and providing such amazing food. I am usually not a fan of mussels, but these were amazing, with a great smoky flavor. The duck and lamb appetizers were both also delicious and well worth the calories. The proscuttio wrapped shrimp were unbelievable! I would have gobbled up an entire platter, but my mother taught me better than that… (And speaking of mothers, I did also get to meet Mike’s mom — who is as sweet and funny as Mike!) I made full use of both drink tickets and very much enjoyed the rich creamy eggnog.
AND — best white elephant game ever! Seriously, I had not laughed that hard in a while… lots of cool gifts, lots of amusing shenanigans, just lots of fun.
What a great way to close out 2013, and start looking forward to 2014!

This was THE Unilocal MD Burbs Elite event of the year, and that’s saying a lot because Mike’s events have been AWESOME all year. I can’t believe how much food and booze we were offered! I’m used to grazing at Unilocal Elite events, and then either getting a table afterwards or finding somewhere else to have a meal. But I was totally stuffed by the amazing Timpanos food, and they kept bringing out more! What a spread… sausages, lobster bisque (in the cutest little mugs ever), veggies, olives, giant antipasto skewers, waffle cones of fruit, duck confit, prosciutto shrimp, tuna tartar in edible spoons… I nearly died. I was sad that I missed out on the mussels because they only went to the booths and not the high-​top tables, but I didn’t have room in my stomach for them anyway. The quality of the food and generosity of Timpanos definitely make me eager to return ASAP.
The drinks menu was also great — since I have a non-​drinking partner, I tasted my way through everything. My favorite was the lemon drop champagne, which was very crisp and refreshing. It would make a great pre-​dinner drink. Even the water was great — it was the most cucumber-​y cucumber-​infused water I’ve had.
But once we were all liquored-​up and full to the gills with amazing food, Mike hosted an awesome sing-​a-​long and then a hilarious White Elephant gift swap. At first, no one was stealing and it seemed like the most friendly swap I’ve seen. But then it got cutthroat! I admit I took no prisoners myself, and when my chocolates were stolen I went right for the «party in a bag.» I hadn’t even considered going to a liquor store for the gift I brought! ;)
We left with gifts and Unilocal goodies and Timpano’s gift cards and handwritten cards from Mike… what an awesome way to end the year. I love this Elite squad! BEST. EVER.

Many mini mouthwatering morsels. Mike has raised the bar for Elite events!
Succulent sausages, delicious duck, amazing antipasta skewers, luscious lamb chops, lascivious lobster bisque, terrific tuna tartare, magnificent mussels, kickass cocktails. Very merry!

Another great Unilocal Elite party at a spectacular venue. Plenty of great food and drink. Lots of space to move around in. These events get more and more fun.
The restaurant was a great place to have this and the staff there was excellent. Friendly and always there with a bite to eat or able to fill my glass with egg nog.
The carolling was nice, too.
This was just an all around great time with lots of good people.

So much Yuletide cheer!!!
This was probably one of the better holiday parties I have been to for the following reasons:
People were voluntarily singing along to Christmas carols. Sober, or mostly sober!!!
The drinks were delish and consistently yummy. I have to admit the Lemon Drop Champagne was my favorite!
Plentiful food. The lovely servers brought around duck confit, ahi tuna with edible spoons, and mini lamb chops. Plus there was a sausage table and a dessert table too! Loved the ahi tuna bites.
An actual fun white elephant gift exchange. Shake weights and alcohol, now those are gifts worth giving!!! I stole a Dr. Who lunchbox which I will be taking to work everyday!
Once again Mike pulled off a great event, and Timpanos was an amazing host. I can’t wait to see what 2014 holds.