A la carte, prix fixe, tasting menu, degustation, tour, journey. On one level, these words simply describe different types of restaurant menus.

But as these words have worked their way onto a growing number of menus in Pittsburgh as in other cities, they have also become more loaded with expectations and more likely to inspire strong emotional reactions on the part of chefs and diners alike. Too often we treat these words as if they offer different levels of commitment, showcase different ranges of talent or offer different qualities of experience.

These words have relatively clear definitions void of such judgments. An a la carte menu is one in which each component of the meal is ordered separately.

A prix fixe menu is a set meal of several courses offered at a certain price, almost always offering the diner a bargain price in exchange for sacrificing the broader choices of the a la carte menu.

The tasting menu, degustation, tour and journey are all variations on a theme: a meal of many courses, probably at least six, offered for a set price and designed to showcase either the chef's signature dishes or his or her ability to improvise with seasonal ingredients or both. Tasting menus are always the most expensive on the menu.

For a long time, I was the kind of diner who ordered tasting menus whenever they were available. With so many great restaurants in the world, and always too little time and money, the economics of dining always seemed to indicate that the tasting menu was the best choice. What if this was my only visit for years?

But as I accumulated experiences I became jaded, irritated and overwhelmed.

The truth is that far too many restaurants offer tasting menus and far too few of these restaurants are capable of creating tasting menus to the same standard as their a la carte options. Poorly thought-out tasting menus often consist of far too much food; they seem designed to get rid of over-ordered items rather than to showcase anything, and they are often fussy and polished to the point of being dull. Even when the food is excellent, poor timing can destroy a meal.

Much of the confusion about the purpose of the tasting menu seems to mimic the confusion surrounding its origin. Some point to the influence of Auguste Escoffier, the father of modern French cuisine, who served elaborate menus of 15 courses at the Paris Ritz in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These meals were exercises in extravagance, where people literally ate themselves sick just to prove that they could afford to do so.

Others see the origins in French nouvelle cuisine, a paradigm shift of the 1970s, with chef Paul Bocuse leading the way. Nouvelle cuisine began with a desire to make food lighter, cleaner, simpler, to allow its true flavors to shine through. Unfortunately, it became a parody of itself, as chefs competed to see who could create the most bizarre flavor combinations.

The likely truth is that different cultures throughout the world have been serving meals of many courses for hundreds if not thousands of years, most often to impress important guests.

The most successful tasting menus today demonstrate influences that are as much, if not more, Japanese than French. Japanese kaiseki meals were traditionally served at the end of a formal tea ceremony. Over time they evolved into more ornate, extensive offerings, but they have retained their essential characteristics. They consist of a series of small dishes and are intensely seasonal. Like all elements of the tea ceremony, kaiseki meals were designed to express the sensibilities of the tea practitioner but also to give pleasure to the guest.

The most successful tasting menus are thoughtful, detailed compositions, a progression from start to finish that takes the diner on a journey through a series of flavors, techniques and ideas. Often these menus can be found at restaurants that offer only tasting menus, but some restaurants with several choices of menus also offer tasting menus worth choosing.

Look for signs that the chef wants you to order the tasting menu, rather than feels he or she must present one in order to be considered a "serious" restaurant. Which menu seems to be emphasized? Is there only a small difference in price between the a la carte or prix fixe option and the tasting menu?

But most important, evaluate your own appetite. Tasting menus are not for everyone. If you have a laundry list of foods you don't eat, you may be asking too much of a chef with a limited set of ingredients in his or her kitchen and a limited amount of time to spend on one diner. If you want to focus on your dining companion, rather than primarily on the food, the fast-paced tasting menu may be distracting or irritating.

Finally, remember the wise words of Thomas Keller, who probably bears some responsibility for the resurgence of the tasting menus in America. At the French Laundry in the Napa Valley and Per Se in New York, where only tasting menus are available, each course consists of only a few bites because Mr. Keller believes that after the first few bites the experience is inevitable, less surprising and less delicious. He calls this change "the law of diminishing returns." This law it holds true over the course of many meals, not just one.

Eating at high-end restaurants has probably never been as expensive as it is today, and tasting menus are one of the things driving up the cost, usually without driving up restaurants' profit lines much at all. If these meals become burdensome or boring, the spending of this money becomes an exercise in vanity. Access to great food and great restaurants is a privilege, and one that should not be taken lightly.

I will never unilaterally stop ordering tasting menus because they have revealed to me the heights to which the humble craft of cooking can aspire.

If you choose wisely, and not too often, you will be repaid with memories of pleasure that will last for years. In the end, who can put a price on that kind of experience?