Could it be that the meats are marinated in or topped with some gluten-containing sauce that's causing your stomach pains? Perhaps asking the cooks to keep your food free of the vegetable oils won't keep you free of discomfort if that's the case. And if so....I don't know how to help except to tell you to take your own food -- sorry!

Can you ask them to make you salads without the dressing and without chicken, even? Poach or steam stuff instead of grilling it? Poach or hardboil some eggs for you to put on the salad? Where I work, the cooks are totally happy to do make little changes like that as long as you're not asking for it during the middle of dinner service, and of course provided that you're friendly with them.

Also do you work back of house or front of house? Just wondering since if you're BOH you would be aware of pretty much every ingredient in the food already and might not be so keen to eat it at all. I work BOH in a restaurant too and have accepted that I won't be eating the food, even if it's super cheap, after seeing how much vegetable oil and other stuff goes into most dishes. It's not worth it to me, especially since I don't get it for free, just discounted. Most restaurant food is a minefield.

Depending on how sensitive your stomach is you might make the same decision. If this isn't a fairly high-end place that makes nearly everything, there can be questionable ingredients in everything from the broth/stock they use to the spice mixtures.

Edit: after actually reading the menu throughly, a lot of it looks seriously delicious, and not exactly paleo-unfriendly. Yes, there will be a small amount of canola oil on the surface of the food, but all in all it doesn't look so bad. I would think if you avoid stuff like salad dressings and anything deep-fried, it might be okay for you. Unless, of course, you find even small amounts of canola oil upset your stomach (like you said in your question).

The stomach pains are likely not related to the canola oil, which isn't really all that bad of a fat source, in my opinion. It's 61% monounsaturated, 21% omega 6, 11% omega 3 and the rest saturated. I think it would actually be worse to use a cooking fat that had a lower smoke point like butter or olive oil and that created carcinogens during the cooking process.

After 5 months on paleo I'm very sensitive to many spices as well as seed oils. I agree with Ruth and Travis that it might not be oil that's bothering you. That makes it hard--all you can do is try one dish per day and see if there are any with mild/neutral reactions.

I eat out with my co-workers a few times a week, so I'm probably eating canola oil 2-4 times a week. So far I have maintained all the positive health changes I got on a paleo diet despite this. I try not to eat anything fried though, since that gives you the most oil, and I avoid desserts and bread things. I would also try to angle for red meat, since it's usually higher quality in restaurants than fish or chicken. Ceviche is probably oil-free, but I doubt they'd serve that in staff meals. ALso salads might make you worse off since they are often dressed in oil.

All and all, canola is better than corn or sunflower oil and marginally better than soy oil. Take comfort in that fact that even if you eat at the restaurant 5 times a week, your diet is still better than 99% of the US population's diet.

latin american food is notorious for being fried in this type of oils, and probably not fresh oil either....my suggestion would be order things without the proteins if they are questionable (salads) and bring your own chicken and oil dressings.

the ensalada de palmitos should be oil free except the dressing, just hold the dressing. have the bistek cooked with the eggs in butter if you can.... sweet plantain mash should be oil free....

but you really do have to check.....anything fried forget...

now stop, your making me hungry!!!

Get all the facts you can on the food preparation procedure. You need all pertinent facts then go from there. Are you using fish oil?

How many meals a week do you plan eating at the restaurant? Do they have any type of good oils at the restaurant you may ask for them to use, like butter or olive oil? Can you ask them to grill it without oil?

One thing I do when I eat conventional meats and/or eat out where I know vegetable oil is used is take a couple servings of fish oil to try and balance out the Omega 3 ratio. Still doesn't help the fact that the vegetable oil is oxidized but in my mind it makes me feel better. However, I only eat out 2 times a week at most.

Although a bit more costly, avocado oil mayonnaise is outstanding for chicken, ham, egg, tuna etc salad. dAVO is excellent in place of evoo, and butter in some cases. Scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sand, as the oil in a non-fat greek yogurt dip, dipping oil w/parm. High temp stir frys. davoavocado oil.com

Maybe you should let them know that if they got all the bad oils and seasonings out of their dishes, they would be overrun with paleo eaters. That menu looks pretty awesome.