As someone who has worked in the food & beverage industry since the age of 14 I am here to try to give you the behind the scenes scoop, as well as the the front:
1. Don't be dumb! Please, please be an informed eater. Ask for a gluten-free menu when you go out. OR If an item on the menu says it includes "breadcrumbs" don't ask your waiter if it is gluten-free. It's not. And there's tons of butter on it. And when we (servers or bartenders) walk away from your table we go in the back and make fun of you. This is NOT a judge-free zone. Please don't be that person. Know your disease, know your food.
2. Don't be annoying. Everyone at dinner probably knows you already have Celiac and if you go through each and every item on the menu your fellow diners are going to be annoyed, not to mention the waiter who really doesn't have the time to go through an entire dinner menu just for you. And if you're out for Italian... now really, why did you think it was a good idea to go out for Italian food - pasta, bread, cream...!!!
3. Don't eat wheat. If you don't understand this one, I don't know how else to help you.
4. Read the label. I despise reading labels, however, this is now a necessary evil. Even if you think something canned or processed should be gluten-free doesn't mean that is it. If it doesn't say "Gluten-Free" assume that it's not. Gluten is in all types of things you wouldn't think it would be like... ketchup, soy sauce, soup...
5. Gluten is in everything. Sometimes it's just easier to make dinner from scratch knowing there is no gluten in anything. This may not sound ideal to you, but I use my cooking time as my "decompress time" where I only have to think about food and nothing else. Take the time to put some focus on you.
6. Switch out the flour. Did you know there is more than just bleached processed flour? Well, I'm here to tell you there are multiple choices of flour. I prefer oat flour with a pinch of xanthun gum will get you just the right texture.
7. Don't drink beer. There is wheat in almost every kind of beer. However, there are a few exceptions, like cider. Woodchuck is gluten-free, I prefer the Pear. But, be careful and assume that if it doesn't say gluten-free that it's not. You could try a glass of wine- most of which are gluten-free. Again, there are some exceptions. Some wineries use a flour-paste to seal their barrels and inevitably fall into the wine itself.
8. Vegan doesn't mean gluten-free. Vegan just means someone who avoids eating animal products. While this may help with lactose intolerance (butter, milk), it does not help with gluten intolerance.
Again, the biggest thing is to be an informed eater. It's your body. You decide what goes in it. BUT, going out to dinner doesn't need to be production. Be informed!