Types of menu

1. "a la carte"

.2. Table d' hote.

3. Prix fixé.

A La Carte = means literally 'from the card'. This is usually a menu with much more choice (15 - 20 dishes of starter/main/desert), and you don't have to have three or more courses, you can chose a main only if you want. The price is usually by the meal, rather than a fixed price as with table d'hote

Table d'hote = a menu with multiple courses, but only a few choices (e.g. 3 starters, 3 mains, 3 deserts), usually charged at a fixed price.

 prix fixe =  A prix fixe menu is simply a collection of pre-determined items presented as a multi course meal at a set price. à prix fixe is the set meal provided by a restaurant, as opposed to the menu à la carte. With the former, a limited choice of 2 or 3 courses is offered at a set price, in the latter each dish on a much longer list has its own price, and you compose your own meal. This is invariably more expensive.