It's Caius... not Cassius ;)

I do think we have spoken before, back at AS.

It concerned Auguste Escoffier, and if I recall you lived in Paris and we discussed a meal you had that lunch time which if I recall correctly featured os au moelle and Brouilly... Am I correct?

If so, it is good to hear from a fellow gastronome once again.

Yes indeed the problem is as you say, over-attention (especially on a first visit) can be very off-putting and education should not be the primary objective of the restaurateur.

The triclinia would present the problem you have hinted at, namely that it would significantly reduce their seating capacity. I am sure that this could be recouped however by having a room hire fee for the special room.

Funnily enough Petraites Lucretius makes an interesting point, even though it is couched in irony and flippancy. The lack of any 'normal' foods, not anti-historical foods, but just foods that we know they would have eaten but weren't worth putting into de re coquinaria, limit the range and durability of the cuisine. After all how about a nice plate of sauteed mussels? or some wild mushrooms? Why so many pulmentaria and pulse soups when hardly anyone eats these anymore? Why the insistance on dried fruits and nuts in the gustaticium when they are hardly appetising in their plain form?

This is, to my mind, because they are more intent on discovering and resurrecting these old recipes and educating the visitor than on making a balanced and desireable eating house that can stand on it's own without the 'educational' part.

As to the booklets, they do this and gave me one free (though the menu says they cost €5) which does speak about the food, its' history, the restaurant and the dishes and wines.

Its a great concept, well worth a visit but sadly probably not destined to be a great commercial success due to its limitations. If it were lighter hearted I could honestly see the brand growing to practically any historical Roman site in Europe. Franchise anyone?

Cheese, good point! there was none, neither at gustaticium nor as an after dinner offering (and the lack of anything even remotely coffee like is an understandable but nevertheless frustrating ommission, still there are plenty of bars around). Roman cheeses were mainly made from sheep's milk so pecorino is closer than parmigiano.

Still, as I said, if in Rome give it a try, it's worth the visit.