Sounds like the same thing as "menu dégustation," as you suggest, despite the small number of dishes (only one more than the other meals)!

You could also maybe call it a "variety dinner" or something along those lines, but that might sound a little corny!

not an overly faithful rendition

Well, it couldn't be "special", could it, because that's bangers and mash, or "gourmet" because that's pretentious. Or "surprise" because that's rather worrying, or "delight", because it's reminiscent of "pud". And "discovery" would put us with Caernarfon chez Tutankhamun, unearthing a corpse. And then, we already know its "diner", no surprise there, why mention it. It's delectable. It's intriguing. It's french.It's not "Déjeuner sur l'herbe" it must be....
It's also the week end!

Perhaps the difference between Menu Dégustation and Dîner Découvert is that one comes with wine pairings and the other doesn't... Just a thought.

I've tried one or two of these at restos whose thresholds I would never usually have dared to cross (Villefranche-sur-Conflent was a good one). It is a very reasonably priced menu to tempt new customers in. They hope that you will be so impressed that you will pay the normal prices next time.

"Price bracket: From £12.00 per head for three courses not including drinks, for the introductory menu, around £20.00 a la carte. ..."
www.georgianhousehotel.co.uk/restaurants_near_georgian_hous...

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Note added at 1 hr (2008-02-22 17:47:09 GMT)
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"... the restaurant at the famous Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz which he still runs today. ... The twelve course introductory menu was magnificent. ..."
www.hangar-7.com/en/special-pages/kulinarik/gastkoeche-2007...

OR to really go for blow-out (the prices appear not to be misprints):
"De Karmeliet is one of Belgium’s three-star Michelin restaurants and is the Mecca for Belgian food lovers, who dream of eating there once in their lifetime. It is top of the top, Belgian cuisine at its finest, and probably the best Belgian restaurant, so that means the best kitchen in the world. It lays not even 5 minutes away by foot from the large medieval market square. Only for real gourmets (150,00 euros/person) and for those who want to sweep their partners off their feet. They offer an **introductory menu for 50,000 euro**, but this is without the (expensive) wine. This short menu is not served on Friday and Saturday night or on Sunday. "
http://www.igougo.com/dining-reviews-b143611-Bruges-de_karme...

Yes, well perhaps we don't need to be OTT and have wine too.

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Note added at 18 hrs (2008-02-23 10:54:17 GMT)
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Well, OK the second one is a misprint and the first shouldn't be a comma, but I found it amusing.