How many questions do you ask in restaurants?

Responding to my last post about Austin vegetarian sushi, Veg Out! Austin founder Ben made this comment:

Japanese food tends to use a lot of bonito flakes (made from tuna), so it's best to always check, especially with agedashi tofu and miso soup. Some dashi stocks are made with just kelp or mushrooms, but it's common for it to be fish-based.

I have to admit, I am not the most scrupulous vegetarian when dining out. I've also gotten kind of lazy living in Austin, because so many restaurants are highly informed about vegetarianism. I've even had wait staff stop me from ordering things cooked with chicken broth when they suspected I was vegetarian. (Thanks Matt's El Rancho!)

As a result, I'm sure I'm eating plenty of ingredients that I would never purchase and bring home to cook with. The thought of interrogating wait staff, though, especially if I suspect I'm going to spend half an hour just defining my terms... well, it seems exhausting.

So, VegOut! Austin readers, how far do you go when assessing if a dish is safe to eat? What questions do you want to see answered in a vegetarian restaurant guide/blog, to make your life easier when deciding where to eat and what to order? I'm all ears...