According to experts, the design of a menu itself can affect what diners are in the mood for.

"There's definitely a psychology of menus. We are not masters and commander of what we choose when we go to a restaurant," said Brian Wansink, Ph.D., the John Dyson Professor of Consumer Behavior at Cornell University.

The director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab reviewed hundreds of menus and analyzed how they influence diners. He finds the layout is critical.

"It determines what we look at first. It determines largely what we choose, but it also ends up determining how much we like the food," said Wansink.

So, if you see something sooner, research shows you're more likely to order it. And, the more descriptive the wording, the more you might be willing to shell out. Words like succulent or creamy actually have an impact on diners.

"They're willing to pay about 15 percent more for the item. They're 27 percent more likely to take the item and they also end up rating the item as actually being tastier after they finish dinner," said Wansink.

When it comes to making healthy choices, Wansink says sometimes design can work against our waistline.

"If it's set up wrong and it pushes sort of the high calorie entres and really sort of fat appetizers it can cause us to eat really poorly," he said.

So how do you get past the marketing to get the best value and have a healthy meal? Wansink suggests asking for recommendations for lighter selections, and says diners should take a closer, more critical look at the menu.

"Avoid looking at those items that are like in your face and kind of read between the lines and look at the ones that are in the sort of the smaller font, maybe a little less obvious," he said.

And be mindful of words like "home-made," "home-baked," "sizzling" and "mouth-watering." Not only are they effective, restaurant owners say with these words they often can charge more.