I went to a Michelin star restaurant recently and tried the tasting menu. It is 9 courses of small portions of in some cases exquisite food. Some of the courses are split up into 3-5 bite size samples.
This particular restaurant had a more standard meal available at a less astronomical price, but only slightly less. I was aware of tasting menus, but I never understood why it was done that way. When ordering, we were told the tasting menu was the "Michelin star" experience. We didn't want a lower tier, so we tried it. I realize now it is not a separate tier. The standard meal is just that, a satisfying top quality meal. The tasting menu is a different animal. It is just showing off what the chef can do, like a performance for a professional food critic.
It was truly amazing creative stuff, but if you're looking for a meal a tasting menu is not what you want.
