Mich Matthews, a former Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft, is selling her sick 4 bedroom waterfront home in Washington for $9.3 million, says the WSJ.

The coolest thing about this property, aside from the waterfront obviously, is that it has a pool house. Not a pool house where you keep pool things and house guests. It's a separate house with a pool inside of it.

It even has a dryer with a special bathing suit spinner in it so that everything is drier, faster.

The main house is pretty big too, at 10,040 square feet.

Larry Williams of John L. Scott Real Estate has the listing.

4444 95TH AVE NE

4444 95TH AVE NE

4444 95TH AVE NE

Please follow Clusterstock on Twitter and Facebook.

Real estate firm Knight Frank is out with its annual Wealth Report, which is jam-packed with data on how the world's wealthiest people spend money on real estate.

The report includes a section on the global cities that matter the most to high-net-worth individuals, defined as people with $30 million or more in net assets.

It's based on four criteria: economic activity, political power, quality of life, and knowledge and influence.

New York takes the top spot overall, while Zurich has the highest quality of life and Washington DC ranked highest in terms of political power.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Cities That Offer The Best Quality Of Life

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Crain's Chicago Business columnist Greg Hinz has a mega feature out this week offering proof that, well-publicized problems aside, Chicago is going through an unprecedented economic boom. 

Chicago now is outperforming the surrounding area by almost any measure—jobs, income, retail sales and residential property values, to name a few—despite the loss of 200,000 people in the 2010 census.

The city is so hot that this expanded downtown is adding residents faster than any other urban core in America, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Here are a few key pieces of evidence he notes:

• Over the past decade, sales increased 19.7 percent in the city compared with 13.9 percent in the city's seven-county region. Retail receipts grew just 3.4 percent in suburban Cook and a minuscule 1.8 percent in DuPage County.
• During the same period, tax hauls in the city grew 19.3 percent, almost twice the 10.2 percent increase across the region, with the trend continuing into 2012.
• Households with annual income of more than $200,000 rose 94.6 percent across the city and 113.1 percent in the city's central business district, The Loop, compared with 81.8 percent in the region.
• The Loop regained all of the 3.8 percent of jobs it lost during the downturn, "and that's even before the recently announced downtown moves of such big companies as Google Inc.'s Motorola Mobility subsidiary, United Continental Holdings Inc. and Hillshire Brands Co." By comparison, DuPage lost 12.3 percent of its jobs in the recession.

Hinz does not dismiss the myriad challenges the city still faces — the violence, the school system, rising pension costs to name a few. 

But many residents have never had it so good. 

“Where people live is the most important driver” of economic development, [Chicago Fed vice president] Bill Testa says. “Companies are following the talent.” And right now, for the good of Chicago, if not always the entire region, that leads downtown.

Read the full story at Crain's >

Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Jakarta and Bali, both in Indonesia, ranked high on real estate firm Knight Frank's new index of price growth in the world's luxury real estate markets.

The capital city of Jakarta, where prices increased 38 percent year-over-year, topped the list this year. And Bali ranked second, tying with Dubai with a 20 percent increase in luxury real estate prices between 2011 and 2012.

Knight Frank explained the growth:

Jakarta benefited from continued strong GDP growth, which has stood at or above 6% for five out of the past six years and, in particular, from rapid growth in middle-class wealth. Increased access for non-resident purchasers could help sustain the trend through 2013.

While a third of the cities in the report experienced price growth in 2012, around half of the cities reported negative price growth. Overall, the Asia-Pacific region fared well, while Europe struggled.

According to Knight Frank, the dichotomy stems from the aftermath of the financial crisis:

The search for safe haven investments has continued to propel prices higher in key global cities; some of the markets worst hit by the global financial crisis appear at long last to be recovering; and the impact of growing global wealth flows has kept governments busy in their attempts to limit price growth and deflate nascent real-estate bubbles before they explode.

Here are the 20 cities (out of 80 analyzed by Knight Frank) where prices on luxury residential real estate rose the most in 2012:

And the markets where they decreased the most:

SEE ALSO: The Cities That Matter Most To Wealthy People

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

In 2010 we wrote about Harvard economics professor Jeffrey Miron's stance that all drugs should be legalized because prohibition wastes money and doesn't work.

In a recent in-depth interview with Der Spiegel, the economist provides more insight into why he thinks that all kinds of drugs should be sold in supermarkets.

Miron asserts that the prohibition of drugs "is the worst solution for preventing abuse" because it costs a lot money, creates a corrupt and dangerous black market, and constrains the freedom of those who wouldn't abuse drugs.

The director of undergrad studies in Harvard's Economics Department says if drugs were legal, the U.S. could save about $90 billion per year (by stopping drug war policies and implementing state taxes), the black market would be drained and violence reduced, and the American way would be respected.

"If you believe in anything that the Americans claim to believe in — freedom, individuality, personal responsibility — you have to legalize drugs," Miron said.

Miron's libertarian leanings make addiction a non-issue because "people are addicted to caffeine[, sports, beer or food] and nobody worries about that ... people who harm themselves with drugs will do it anyway, regardless of whether or not they're legal."

He cited Portugal, which decriminalized consumption of all drugs in 2001 and has subsequently seen a drastic drop in addicts, usage rates, and drug-related diseases.

Check out the interview >

Some of Miron's claims are controversial, to say the least, like when he brushes off the idea of drug addiction, claims the effects of crack are exaggerated, and says there is scarce evidence that drug users harm others.

Nevertheless his perspective provides an anchor on one side of the policy spectrum, countering the gung-ho drug warriors who don't even want to consider reforming U.S. drug policy.

One thing Miron said show just how outside the box he's thinking: "... if drugs were legal tomorrow, I'd go out and give them all a try. I doubt I would use them more than once; but after all the research I have done on this issue, I am curious!"

SEE ALSO: Pablo Escobar's Right-Hand Man Explains Why The Drug War Is Unwinnable

Please follow Law & Order on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

At the Geneva Auto Show this week, a veritable glut of supercars made their debuts, with spectacular offerings from Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Aston Martin.

Two of those cars stood out: McLaren's P1, which we got a preview of in New York in December, and the oddly-named LaFerrari, the successor to the Enzo and Ferrari's new flagship supercar.

Both are gorgeous. Both are hybrids. Both cost more than $1 million.

But one has to be better, and we crunched the numbers — considering power, speed, looks, and more — to find out which is number one.

NAME: The P1 name links the car to McLaren’s legendary F1, the former fastest production car in the world.

NAME: LaFerrari is Italian for “The Ferrari.” In English or Italian, it sounds dumb.

NAME: McLaren takes this one, easily.

McLaren P1: 1

LaFerrari: 0

Please follow Getting There on Twitter and Facebook.

As Israel's agriculture department begins preparations for a vast swarm of locusts coming from Egypt, famed Israeli Chef Moshe Basson has begun Israelis how to make locust souffle.

That's right, Israelis are being told to eat their way through the locust plague.

Basson, a chef who specializes in "biblical cuisine" at his restaurant in Jerusalem, appeared on a popular Israeli morning show to give some tips and tricks eat locusts, Ha'aretz reports.

Basson isn't the ony one giving culinary advice either.

Rabbi Natan Slifkin wrote a piece for The Times of Israel this weekend encouraging Jews to eat the bugs, pointing out they are kosher.

"I have eaten locusts on several occasions," Rabbi Slifkin writes. "They do not require a special form of slaughter, and one usually kills them by dropping them into boiling water. They can be cooked in a variety of ways – lacking any particular culinary skills, I usually just fry them with oil and some spices."

They're actually a good snack, Rabbi Slifkin claims. "It’s not the taste that is distinctive," he writes, "so much as the tactile experience of eating a bug – crunchy on the outside with a chewy center!"

Rabbi Slifkin says that the locust, the most common in that region, would be kosher as, historically, if the bugs had eaten all the crops, the affected Jews would have eaten the bugs.

SEE ALSO: The Military and Defense Facebook page for updates >

Please follow Military & Defense on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

This is the Kettle Mountain Waxed Jacket from Eddie Bauer.

Why We Love It: We're fast approaching the rainy season, so it's a good idea to have a classic jacket in your closet. Wax jackets are not only weather proof, but extremely versatile, too.

Take for instance this army green Kettle Mountain coat from Eddie Bauer. It has a corduroy collar, tricot-lined hand-warmer pockets, water-repellent finish, and polyester lining.

It's designed for hunting and shooting by providing you with "unrestricted arm movement" (according to the product description), but we think you'd look great walking around the city in this jacket, too.

Where To Buy: Available through the Eddie Bauer website, or Amazon.

Cost: $299.

Want to nominate a cool product for Stuff We Love? Send an email to Megan Willett at mwillett@businessinsider.com with "Stuff We Love" in the subject line.

DON'T MISS: Every Fashionable Techie Should Own These USB Cuff Links

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Colorado, one of two states in the country to legalize recreational use of marijuana in November's locations, is not making money on pot sales.

"We'll consider ourselves lucky if we break even between the cost of regulation and the unintended consequences," Governor Hickenlooper said. By unintended consequences, he means things like an increase in pot-related crime.

The state is just working out how to make recreational pot available for sale in the state, but before it does, it faces a big problem: Colorado's law requires money raised by pot sales only to be used to build K-12 schools, Governor Hickenlooper told Business Insider during a press conference at the VCIR conference.

Washington doesn't have such a restriction and expects to generate "$1.6 billion year" on marijuana sales, he says.

Colorado officials are going to have to "go to the voters" and convince them to let government keep more of the proceeds. That's a hard sell in Colorado, which has a lot of regulations that limit government use of taxes.

On top of that, Colorado is struggling to figure how much to tax and regulate recreational marijuana sales.

Recommendations released this week by a task force include licensing fees to raise money for the state and taxing the drug at 15 percent, the highest legal level. Such high taxes are unpopular in a state where the typical state sales tax is 2.9%.

As for working with the federal government, which still says pot is illegal, Hickenlooper says that he talks regularly to Attorney General Eric Holder but nothing more.

And when it comes to pot producing an Amsterdam-like tourism industry, Hickenlooper isn't convinced. Skiing continues to be the primary driver of Colorado's booming tourism growth.

Hickenlooper acknowledged that legalization has created new small businesses and small business jobs. Until the law is changed, however, those jobs won't enrich the state.

SEE ALSO: Colorado Wants Tech So Bad, It's Setting Up Its Own $100+ Million VC Fund

Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Some home designs are inspired by an era or piece of art. The new issue of Bloomberg Pursuits takes a look inside a 7,000-square-foot penthouse in lower Manhattan that was inspired by math.

The unconventional space, with sloping walls, hidden lofts, and a 40-foot steel column, was designed by architect David Hotson.

Bloomberg Pursuits' Justin Davidson explains how the design was conceived:

To help Hotson along, his mathematically minded client sent him his dissertation, about an algorithm capable of discerning the structure underpinning complex sequences of symbols: a Bach partita, a human genome, a sonnet.

It turns out that if you feed in enough data, a computer can deduce the principles of counterpoint, heredity and Elizabethan verse. Hotson similarly used raw computing power — and a 3-D laser scan of the unfinished space — to render a design that previous generations could hardly have visualized, let alone built.

The best part of the house, by far, sounds like the 4-story stainless steel slide that lets riders out near the dining room table. It was installed in two separate pieces, before there were walls or floors.

The one question Bloomberg doesn't answer — who is the mystery owner of the funhouse? If you have a guess, let us know in the comments.

Check out Bloomberg Pursuits' interview with Hotson:

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Before she was the queen of American home life, Martha Stewart was a model. 

Stewart began modeling at age 15, and continued when she was a student at Barnard College as a way to supplement her income. 

Her clients included everyone from Unilever to Chanel. 

It's not difficult to see why Stewart excelled at the job--she's gorgeous. 

Stewart's company shared these images with us exclusively. Some have never been seen before. 

Stewart was a student at Barnard College for most of her modeling career.

Stewart had a college scholarship to Barnard, but living in New York is expensive, so she modeled.

She said she could make up to $50 an hour modeling (a lot of money at the time)!

Please follow Retail on Twitter and Facebook.

Street Easy has just re-listed this triplex penthouse atop Brooklyn's iconic Clock Tower building in DUMBO, and it has some of the most incredible views of Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn that we've ever seen for sale.

According to Curbed NY, the penthouse was originally listed for $25 million in 2009, but was price-chopped down to $18 million by the Corcoran real estate team. If it sells, it would be one of the most expensive homes ever purchased in Brooklyn.

The 14-foot glass clock encircles the apartment on four sides. There are three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and soaring ceilings ranging in height from 16 to 50 feet tall.

You seriously have to see the pictures to believe this apartment.

Welcome to 1 Main Street #16 in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. The penthouse is at the very top in the clock tower.

Source: Corcoran Real Estate Group

Yes, that is your very own glass-enclosed elevator that opens into the entry way.

Source: Corcoran Real Estate Group

The tower has four 14-foot-tall glass clock faces that surround the living space.

Source: Corcoran Real Estate Group

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

A $6 million mansion in the Southampton hamlet of Noyac burst into flames Tuesday morning and burned for hours, according to Southampton Patch.

The fire reportedly started just before 11 a.m. The homeowners were home at the time, but no one was injured.

The home has been on the market through Douglas Elliman and contains "sculptures and modern art everywhere," according to its listing.

Not anymore.

Aerial photographer Jeff Cully happened to be in the area while the house was ablaze, and sent us these shots.

DON'T MISS: The 7 Best Hotels In The Hamptons

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Washington, D.C., is known for its cut-throat politics and its power players.

What many do not know is that D.C. is now a hub for business innovation.

With an established cultural presence, a burgeoning food scene, and a growing startup presence, D.C. is a great place to start a business.

The businesses we selected all either have a novel product or solve a problem in a unique way. From Arlington, Virginia, to Chevy Chase, Maryland, here are some of the most innovative businesses, restaurants, startups, and bars in the D.C. area right now.

Ambar

523 8th St. SE

What it is: A modern and creative Balkan restaurant.

Why it's innovative: Ambar brings the first Balkan cuisine to the D.C. area, serving traditional ingredients from the region in a modern and creative way. The menu is comprised of small plates that are presented in a whimsical manner.

The Big Board

421 H St. NE

What it is: A bar with a unique pricing strategy.

Why it's innovative: The Big Board treats beer like a commodity: the price of beer fluctuates depending on the supply and demand, just like in the stock market. Beers are listed on, well, a big board that displays the prices in real time. They also serve typical bar fare.

Black Jack

1612 14th St. NW

What it is: A bar with a bocce ball court.

Why it's innovative: All bars have drinks.  Some bars even have dart boards and pool tables. Black Jack has a bocce ball court for extra entertainment and even hosts tournaments and leagues.

Please follow War Room on Twitter and Facebook.

Monaco remains the most expensive residential real estate market in the world, with luxury homes costing anywhere from $5,350 to $5,920 per square foot, according to a new wealth report from Knight Frank.

While real estate prices in the tiny country are consistently high, Monaco saw a bump this year as buyers shied away from French hotspots in reaction to President Hollande’s wealth tax proposals, the Knight Frank report said.

And Monaco, which does not charge a personal income tax, was particularly popular with Russian buyers over French markets, according to the report.

Luxury real estate prices there increased 2 percent year over year. Prices in 2012 jumped the most in Indonesia, where they increased 38 percent in Jakarta and 20 percent in Bali.

The number of wealthy people in the world is also growing, and set to increase quickly in the next decade, according to the report.

The number of people worldwide worth $30 million or more increased by almost 8,700, or 5 percent, in 2012, and their number is set to increase 50 percent in the next 10 years, according to Knight Frank's forecasts.

Here are the 20 most expensive places to buy luxury residential properties, according to the report (click to enlarge):

SEE ALSO: Meet The Richest Person From Every Major Country In The World

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

The Tony Stark of the "Iron Man" films may be inspired by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, but in the latest installment of the franchise, the inventor-playboy-superhero will be driving an electric Audi.

In the recently released "Iron Man 3" trailer, Stark is shown driving the R8 e-tron, the electric version of Audi's supercar.

Product placement in a film that revolves around futuristic technology, with a healthy dose of fast-paced action, is a natural fit, General Manager of Brand Marketing for Audi of America Loren Angelo says:

"Similar to the position of the R8 an an innovation leader, Iron Man's character consistently evolves throughout the trilogy as he masterminds new trends in technology and engineering."

The Germany luxury brand was also the ride of choice in the first two installments of the film. The R8, R8 Spyder, A8, S5, and Q7 have all been featured, according to Audi.

Plans for production of the R8 e-tron were put on ice last October, but were back on track as of January.

SEE ALSO: Supercar Battle: McLaren's P1 Vs. Ferrari's LaFerrari

Now enjoy the trailer:

SEE ALSO: A New Generation Of Supercars Was Born At The Geneva Motor Show

Please follow Getting There on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

The Internet was supposed to make cheating easier.

In the early 2000s, anonymous chat rooms, the birth of adultery website Ashley Madison, and social networks like MySpace seemed to promise the dawn of a new era of affairs.

"Maintaining a loving committed relationship is harder than before as alternative romantic options are easier to explore and to realize," Aaron Ben-Ze'ev, Professor at the University of Haifa and author of the 2004 book Love Online told us. "This increases the feasibility of cheating, as well as the temptation to cheat."

But at the same time internet culture has made the ability to cheat easier, it's also made it easier to get caught.

Fast forward to 2013 where philandering athletes, politicians, and celebrities have been exposed through social media. With the wrong press of a button or hacking of a smartphone, details of infidelities and inappropriate conversations are suddenly broadcast for all the world to see.

But you don't have to be a celebrity to get caught: In 2012, a UK study found that more than a third of divorce petitions cited Facebook as a reason. In America, 81 percent of divorce lawyers have seen an increase in the number of social networking cases in the past five years, and 66 percent have even used Facebook as evidence in court.

Here's why it's so hard to get away with cheating online.

The internet has connected us all

It's become next to impossible to have a one night stand without him or her being able to find you on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Anonymous sex is suddenly not-so-anonymous when the girl from the bar "pokes" you the next day.

And harmless flirting at work or the gym is no longer so harmless. These romances can take months or years to develop in the real world, but has K. Jason Krafsky, co-author of Facebook and Your Marriage, told the Wall Street Journal: “On Facebook they happen in just a few clicks.”

If the flirtation was illicit, those few clicks are the virtual breadcrumbs that can get you caught. A new friend request, a post on your wall, or a suspicious tweet can ruin trust and wreck a relationship.

Incriminating photographs also have a way of making their way online. In fact, it has become common for attorneys to scour Facebook profiles and pictures when they're looking for evidence in divorce cases.

Short of lying about your real name constantly, your past is bound to catch up with you online.

Sharing is the new normal

Sharing social media and phone passwords has become a sign of love and trust. It tells your partner that there are no secrets in the relationship — be they text messages, calls, or recently added "friends."

Craig Gross, the founder of FacebookCheating.com, which details stories of Facebook affairs told us in an email that passwords are meant to be shared with the people you love. "If you are married or have kids and they are on Facebook, everyone's account in your family should be open to everyone," he wrote. "No secrets. Secrets will catch up with you."

If you're in a relationship or married and don't post your status on Facebook, it can cause huge trust issues.

Sharing passwords and making a relationship status public are both major barriers to cheating. And if you think you're careful about hiding your online behavior, think again — even "Facebook stalking" can be discovered by a significant other.

Technology has made it easier than ever to catch cheaters

Computer monitoring software has always existed, but it's arguably better than ever.

Programs like Timesnapper take automatic screen shots every few minutes, allowing you to play back computer activity.

There are even smartphone apps designed to track someone's phone without them knowing. Downloading a tracking app (and then hiding it with another app such as Poof) will allow someone to spy on your location without your knowledge.

Voluntary GPS apps like Find My Friends and Glympse, which let people see where you really are, have also become popular. If you're "working late," you better really be at the office — or have an air-tight explanation for why you turned off your GPS tracker.

The threat of turning up on Google search

Let's say you cheat and get caught — you no longer have to worry only about your car getting keyed, your clothes being burned, or getting thrown out of your home. Shaming websites such as CheaterVille, Shame and Name, and countless personal blogs have been set up to expose cheaters.

It doesn't sound too sinister, but the implications are serious: Any future boss or potential lover will be able to run a simple Google search of your name and find the website with your sordid history. You (and if you're really unlucky, your picture) will be forever connected with the alleged affair.

In short, the cost of cheating has never been higher.

Yes, you can still cheat

The internet may have made cheating an obstacle, but people are great at evolving to get what they want.

We've learned to permanently delete our browser history, and use unconventional forums like Skype, webcams, and gaming devices to communicate, where evidence of an affair is easier to hide.

New apps and programs pop up daily that are abused by sexting or sending inappropriate messages: Take for instance the immensely popular Vine and Snapchat. And there are apps specifically dedicated to hiding messages and phones calls that you don't want your significant other to see, such as Cate ("Call and Text Eraser").

But the online world is no longer the same Wild West of the early 2000s, and technology and social norms are finally catching up with us. Not to mention our own human nature — because no matter how careful we try to be, reason dictates that we will all eventually slip up.

"People shock me," Gross told us. "They're contacting people on their Facebook when their spouses or family members have access to it or leave it signed in. You get so caught up in the new hot relationship or crush that you make mistakes, and that's when you get caught."

DON'T MISS: 15 Signs That The Person You're Dating Is Lying To You

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Last month, Columbia University started offering Nutella in Ferris Booth Commons, one of its dining halls.

Since the chocolate-hazelnut topping's debut, it's cost the dining program $5,000 a week to stock the stuff, according to the Columbia Spectator's Cecilia Reyes.

The demand for Nutella is up to 100 pounds per day, according to Vicki Dunn, executive director of Dining Services. But that ridiculous amount could be due to the fact that students are stealing the Nutella by filling up to-go cups and taking full jars back to their dorms.

Whether they're stealing or eating it, if it keeps disappearing at this rate, the dining program could spend more than $250,000 annually on Nutella alone.

Fortunately for Columbia's Nutella-crazed students, the school isn't planning to pull the pricey item from its dining halls. But, according to The Spectator, it may think twice before serving 'other “luxury” items, like lobster tails,' in the future.

DON'T MISS: Columbia Business School Students Try To Be Funny

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Art is meant to push boundaries, make people think, and evoke a reaction. A great work of art leaves a lasting impression that people continue to buzz about for years to come.

We asked gallerists, curators, and experts in the art field, such as the folks from Art.sy, to select the best new works of art that have shown in galleries, auction houses, or art shows within the last year or so.

These are the most buzzed about new works of art, just in time for Armory Arts Week, the major contemporary art event that kicks off in New York City today.

"House" (2013), by Julie Cockburn, is a found photograph that the artist hand-embroidered over. The piece will show at the Armory Show in New York.

Source: Artsy; Julie Cockburn, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

"Perimeter Studies" (Icosahedron; 2012) by artist Conrad Shawcross is made of four aluminum sculptures that are 50 x 50 x 50 cm each. The sculptures, which seem to reference science, will show at the Armory Show in New York.

Source: Artsy

When artist Paul Emsley unveiled his official portrait of Kate Middleton, it generated a lot of controversy and criticism, but became one of the most talked-about works of art this year.

Source: Business Insider 

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

North Dakota columnist Marilyn Hagerty became famous after her charming review of an Olive Garden went viral last year.

Now, she's back!

Hagerty has returned to the Olive Garden location to write a follow-up for the Grand Forks Herald.

Business has been booming at the Olive Garden, which is "no longer a novelty" in town, according to Hagerty.

What'd she think of it the second time around?

Well, for lunch, Hagerty ate minestrone soup made with fresh vegetables, beans, and pasta in a tomato broth. And yes, she had salad and breadsticks.

"The food is predictable, down to the four or five black olives you find in the salad bowl," wrote Hagerty. "The vegetable soup is hearty and satisfying."

She also went for dinner and ordered penne di mare, which is shrimp and scallops in a seafood cream sauce with roasted parmesan bread crumbs on the top. 

"The seafood was there, but a little hard to find," wrote Hagerty. "There was more pasta than I could eat."

Hagerty ended the night with a chocolate mousse cake.

"Not too sweet," she wrote. "Not too rich and topped with a thin layer of chocolate frosting."

Her verdict:

Italian fare is predictable and good, though not exotic. Service is top notch from greeting at door throughout meal. Italian ambiance in series of connected rooms in Tuscany farm house style. Reasonable prices bring customers back, especially for salad, soup and breadsticks for $5.50 or $6.25 for unlimited refills. Two menus are kind of confusing. Gluten free selections are a plus.

SEE ALSO: Costco's Unorthodox Strategy To Survive The Big Box Apocalypse >

Please follow Retail on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »