<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thanks to the *many* people who responded to my question about how to handle
these situations. I thought I could summarize with a few, but most had a
little different angle to the situation. With all your suggestions, things
went pretty well (even though it was another Italian restaurant!) The "wheat
allergy" seemed to work best, especially to explain my not eating the pasta
and bread sticks. Again, thanks to all!

Elizabeth in Michigan
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I have these type of meetings quite frequently in my line of business.  I
always ask the name of the restaurant and call the manager in advance.  I
explain my situation and ask for a recommendation (or a faxed menu) so that I
have everything figured out prior to the actual meal.  When all else fails, I
do steamed veggies or a simple salad with a lemon squeeze.

I try to keep in mind that these work meals are more work than meal and that
the goal of these type of meetings is to get the job, close the sale etc.
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I have had good luck with a couple of ways to downplay things but be serious
about them: (1) order last, so you're not holding up everyone with your
questions to the waiter -- and holding their attention and (2) mentioning an
"allergy" to a common ingredient in various foods.

You can be reasonably safe to request a salad, just make sure you tell
them no croutons, with lemon.  If grilled meat is on the menu, you can be
kind of safe with a grilled chicken breast - but don't make the mistake I
made.  The restaurant had a special boneless, skinless chicken breast and
fries.  What d o you think of boneless, skinless?  Plain old chicken
breast right?  WRONG, it was battered and deep fried.  Luckily I was out
with a friend and I just wrapped it up and brought it home for the hubby
to eat.  But my "business" lunch is always a large salad.
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Man, that's a tough one.  It's hard enough to go out to a restaurant with
friends.  Could you just say that you have a severe allergy to wheat?  Most
people can understand the devasting effects of an allergy, but that word
"disease" could, I agree, scare employers off by categorizing you as an ill
person.  I use the allergy response often.  It seems to satisfy people
without having to go into a long discourse of what celiac disease or gluten
intolerance is.

When I have to have meals with clients I ask whether we can go to a
restaurant that has a good selection of salads and that's what I eat, no
dressing, no croutons, grilled chicken on the top with no marination or
spices.  Boring, but safe.  They all just think I'm a health nut.  If they
press on why I'm not eating the great bread, I tell them that I have an
allergy.
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I started using the restaurant card (I have my own typed on a 3 x5 index
card) and find it makes life much simplier.  I first tell the waitperson
that I will need their special help.  Then I ask if she can please bring
the card to the chef, to be sure what I chose to order is okay for me..
I usually order broiled fish, or chicken, steak (requesting no marinade).

Personally, I find this is a lot easier then going over what I can't or
can eat.  I too was intimated using it, but is does work...most of the
time.  Now I feel a  lot more confident using this because I find this
works better than anything else I tried.

For a job interview, this is especially important.  Well, the positive
side is, when the interview is over you will definitely will not just
become a blurr with the rest of the pack;  they will remember you.
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What I do now is I just ask the waiter/waitress what is on the menu that
doesn't contain wheat or wheat flour -- I say I have an allergy to it.  I
don't bother explaining everything else, because I can usually tell if an
item is going to be safe or not, i.e., anything called "teriyaki" anything
has soy.  Chicken is usually always marinated.  But then again, I don't pay
attention to the vinegar and so far, it hasn't bothered me.  Maybe I'm not
an overly sensitive celiac.  Anyway, the waiter/waitress can sometimes
recommend dishes but, if not, they run back to the chef and ask.   Last
weekend I went to a very nice restaurant and had only 2 choices of
appetizers, one choice of entree, and two choices of desserts.
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I have had similar problems. I find that just telling the waiter that
you have a "special diet" need simplifies asking questions.
You can always order a hamburger without a bun. Or a salad without
croutons, Chef salads and antipasto salads are most likely to be gluten
free.
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I find that what works best is being frank WITHOUT going on and on, and
almost attempting to get them involved.  I don't talk about it for the
whole meal or anything, but tell them you have a disease, it is often
confuse with food allergies, it is genetic, and boy it can be hard to
order at a restaurant.   Do it right before or after you order, not when
you walk in.  And then move on. I think if you do it this way,
without sounding whiney, you will sound competent and prepared, without
being overly obsessed with food.   There is such a stigma around people
with food weirdness (e.g. I don't eat corn because I'm opposed to
stalking), that if you don't tell people they might think you
were just picky (not a good potential employee).  They're going to wonder
anyway if you order funny!!  Just be competent and professional, and then
move on!
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1.  If it is lunch order a large salad with no croutons please (that could
mean you don't like croutons) and an oil and vinegar for the dressing.

2.  If it is dinner order a baked potato and steak - you don't need any
explanation for that.
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It seems very awkward to cross-examine a waiter in a situation that is,
after all, the
continuation of an interview.
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        Good prospective employers ask about your own tastes--and food
allergies--before taking you out to eat, of course.  But that doesn't help
with the others, and I went through the same thing last year.
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        What I do is carry food with me, snack before going out to eat if
I can (so I won't faint if I don't get much to eat), and then opt for
salads with oil and vinegar dressing if nothing else on the menu looks
safe.  Most places offer them--though Italian restaurants can marinate so
many of the ingredients that even that isn't exactly safe.  I let people
assume I'm on a diet, usually.

        Where this doesn't work, I say I have a food allergy and this
would certainly be a bad time for it to act up, so is it possible to get
just ... (whatever seems easiest--usually simple broiled fish or meat that
hasn't been marinated or dipped in flour, plain baked potato--very hard to
conceal mystery ingredients in this--or rice, and salad with no dressing
or steamed vegetables).  Actually I describe what I have is an allergy to
wheat and a few (unspecified unless they ask) other grains anyway, and if
asked, this is what I tell people.  It is easier and just as effective,
and works reasonably well with employers too.  They've heard of allergies
and one to wheat isn't uncommon, so this doesn't upset anyone.

        One thing that makes this all easier for me is that I eat lunch
out five days a week and am used to dealing with menus--and I'm a strong
believer in not making the friends with me or my waitperson unnecessarily
uncomfortable, so I try to get by without asking questions if I can.  I
found things a lot harder when I was avoiding restaurants--maybe eating
out regularly, if you're not doing it already, would be a good idea when
you're on the job market.  I feel a lot more relaxed dealing with strange
restaurants and menus when I do this all the time at home.
---------------
 Reading your message reminded me of similar experiences on out-of-town
job interviews.  I wish I had some foolproof advice, but I've not found a
perfect solution.   I have tried  telling them ahead of time that I
have
~an allergy~ to certain foods (even though gluten intolerance isn't an
allergy).  This at least alerts them to the food problem, and on the whole
people take the term allergy seriously, because they hear of people dying
from peanuts or something.  I would never say I had celiac disease
(actually I personally never use that term anyway).  The problem with this
approach is that even when they bend over backwards to be accomodating you
can still end up somewhere where there is nothing to eat, because they
don't understand the restrictions.
  My other trick was to always bring a supply of food with me that I could
eat in my hotel room.  I even occasionally snacked when on a restroom
break.  That way, even if I couldn't eat much at meals, I didn't go
hungry.
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2. In general, the more expensive the restaruant the safer it is, because
they make everything from scratch so there are less fillers and they know the
ingredients.
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If you haven't been able to ask ahead of time, tell the waiter you are
allergic to wheat, flour, pasta and white vinegar.  Order a salad without
dressing-use lemon juice and order a baked potato.  Risotto at Italian
restaurants is dicey because it is made with chicken stock.  The roasted
potatoes are probably safer.  I would explain your ordering as a food allergy
to wheat if you have to.  I think a future employer would think this is o.k.
 You don't want them to think you have an eating disorder.
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There are so many things that you can eat safely without the problem of
gluten coming up. Italian restaurants have to be the worst places for us to
try to eat.
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Broiled or roasted meat, baked potatoes and salads are on almost every menu.
Be  sure to ask that no croutons be put on your salad.
I was told by a chef that no chef would use white vinegar in a salad dressing
because it has no body. He was a culinary snob but I have always relied on
his statement and have had noticed no problems.
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They could not discriminate against you if you had a handicap but I would bet
that they would not treat this as a handicap, just a reason for not hiring
you.
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I have business lunches and such all the time. I've found it best to be
upfront ( if I feel comfortable with the client or meeting) I can't tell
you how many times I've heard that someone has a relative with CD- if
nothing else its an ice breaker. Of course i don't go into gorey details (
unless its appropriate) . If I really feel uncomfortable, I suggest coffee
or will go out on a limb and suggest a place myself... Its ok to take
charge sometimes.
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The social ramifications of remaining GF are the most devestating effects of
the disease in my opinion.  The longer I do the restaurant thing the less it
bothers me.  If I know where we will be eating ahead, I call.  Otherwise, I
eat alot in the am and then have whatever looks okay and easy, like salad and
baked potato when I don't want the others at the table aware that I have
special needs.  Have you read Against the Grain by ? Jax Lowell?  She has fun
advice.  Really, we deserve to be accomodated and comfortable even with new
employers, and it would be discrimination for them not to hire you because of
Celiac, but I understand you are an interviewee.  It may say something about
the company that they didn't think to ask if you had special considerations.