Le menu at lunch (dejeuner) usually features a 2-3 course formal menu, or sandwiches and salads as part of a multi-course lunch. For an inexpensive and speedy lunch, visit a boulangerie for a pre-made sandwich-to-go on a crispy baguette. But our favorite, and the traditional, dejeuner is to take advantage of multi-course, dejeuner menus, and a carafe of Rhône or other local wine, served by the pot and demi-pot, and a café (espresso) served after dessert.
A three-course lunch menu usually consists of an entré (first course), plât (main course), and dessert. A two-course and less expensive formule offers a choice of the entré and plât or a plât and dessert. These three or two course offerings are usually featured on a blackboard that is changed daily. La carte is the list of dishes that waiter hands to you on a formal menu (not the blackboard), and à la carte, like in English refers to individually priced items on the menu.