Stellina Pasta Cafe on Watson Road in the Lindenwood Park neighborhood of St. Louis is tied for second in local Zagat ratings for food. It has a loyal following, and its recent expansion was both needed and well-executed.

But in its latest email newsletter, the owners expressed not just a little frustration at the perceived difficulty of doing business in the city, specifically with installing a new sign. In between a lament about the winter weather and notes on the new semolina tagliatelle with braised short ribs and jardinière vegetables in a red wine braising liquid reduction was this considerable dose of spice:

We had our best holiday season ever and the momentum is carrying on to the new year. Some changes have been made and a few improvements were finished over our extended weekend last week. Some disappointing news from City Hall however has us putting on the brakes with our new sign. It is ready to be installed from our end but our lovely city isn't ready to see it happen. The hoops we jump through to improve our business and the community; makes us wonder why we pay the salaries of the miserable City Hall staff with our tax dollars. If anyone knows Lyle Manager, director of zoning, could you please ask him why he must oppose our new sign that mimics almost every other sign along Watson Road? Maybe he should get out more to look around the city that is trying to revitalize itself (he should have plenty of time, he is gone for the day by 3 p.m. every time we have tried to reach him). We honestly feel sorry for this guy, it must be difficult to be this unhappy all of the time...it won't get us down though. We love what we do and his antics will be squashed in a matter of time. Just pay the extra fees and eventually you can have whatever it is you want, what a system.

 I guess now we'll see if the squeaky wheel gets the olive oil.

UPDATE: Chef and owner Jamey Tochtrop at Stellina Pasta has been sending out a standard reply to people who have sent emails regarding what was published in the newsletter. It reads:

We have obviously gotten the attention of many in regards to this weeks email. I would like to clarify a few points brought up in our email. There are indeed many hard working, honest, sincere employees who work at City Hall. Our 23rd ward Alderman Joe Vaccaro is one, along with Dorothy from the Excise Commission and Kara Bowlin, Mayor Slay's Press Secretary to name a few. If you have dealt with City Hall I am sure we could share stories. Before we opened more than four years ago, I literally, on multiple occasions, had to go down to City Hall to walk documentation from one room to another to expedite our permit process (which took a little more than 4 months). I was not intending to lump all of City Halls workers together as I am now aware I have, and I apologize for that. It is simply frustrating to play by the rules, pay taxes early, and operate a successful neighborhood business that has played its part in solidifying the Watson corridor. In speaking with others about this rant, many people said how unfortunate it is that we went through the proper channels to obtain a permit to improve the aesthetic of our building only to be hindered by the city. Many would have simply installed the sign and moved on, most likely without notice. To the director of zoning I am sure you have a heavy work load and many things pass your desk everyday. The blatant disrespect you have shown to multiple people in our organization is disheartening. I understand there are rules, and we have to play by them. However, the addition of this sign only brings us up to speed with many of the other business along Watson road who currently have signs similar to what we are proposing. I particularly disagree with the pay to play format we are currently working with. You may not hang this sign...but if you pay this extra fee we can probably work something out. This is my position regarding my earlier email, and I am sorry if it is still offensive to some. The problem I have with this system and the fact that I have to write this clarification at all is something my dad taught me long ago, sometimes the truth hurts.

Please feel free to respond directly to my email with any questions or concerns. The Alderman is being inundated with calls regarding this and had nothing to do with the weekly email and has many other tasks to attend to. He has been very helpful along our process with any and all matters. You can contact me directly at Jamey@stellinapasta.com and I will happily consider any thoughts or questions you may have.

UPDATE 2, 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 18: Kara Bowlin, Press Secretary to Mayor Slay, sent this note briefly explaining the city's side of the issue:

...long story short, the City has building and zoning codes it has to follow. Stellina could either move the sign down 1.5' or appeal the code. The appeal would go to the board and the board would take into account whether the project has the support of the neighbors and alderman. The appeal process costs $150 for each appeal (and in this case, the restaurant would have to appeal to two boards, the Board of Appeals (permits) and the Board of Adjustments (zoning)). That's the standard rate for an appeal process, and it's not a "pay to play" scenario.

The City is proud of the success of the restaurants in the Watson corridor - and many City employees live (and, presumably, eat) in that surrounding area. We all want to see those restaurants succeed.

(Thanks to Kara for the response. (And I must add that you have to love a words person who understands nested parentheses. :-) ))