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I got so many lengthy and wonderful responses from such great people on this
list. Here is just a smattering of responses. People seems to have their own
preferences for how they go about eating out, but many agreed it can be done
safely (never 100% safe though of course). Others said they never do it.

Hopefully you will find it useful. Thanks all!

It is going to depend on how sensitive you are.  Some people cannot eat out
and others can take the minor amounts of contamination without any trouble.
I eat out all of the time and seldom have any trouble.

You can also ask that your meat be cooked on a pieces of foil.
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think that all of the paranoia about eating out is a bit ridiculous;
of course you have to have "a life", celiac or not!

I used to travel extensively for work and had no choice but to eat in
restaurants.  I was in many different areas of the US and Canada, and
can honestly tell you that I never once had a bad gluten reaction.  I am
quite sensitive and become violently ill if I have quite a bit of
gluten, and crampy if I have even a little bit.  The worst I've
experienced eating out was some mild bloating -- which was probably
caused by eating rich-tasting restaurant food and not by gluten.

I always politely ask the server about the content of any sauces,
marinades, etc. and say that while I realize that they can't guarantee
that I won't have a reaction, I would very much apprectiate it if he/she
does his/her best to be certain that there is no flour, etc. in my
meal.  If any sauces are questionable, I just get the meat plain and
season with salt and pepper.  Most servers and chefs are more than happy
to check things out for you.  I generally stick to steak and potatoes
(my favourite!) or grilled/roasted chicken or fish with rice and a
salad/veggies.  For dessert I usually have ice cream.  I always tip very
well (at least 20%) because I recognize that all of the checking the
server does takes extra effort and I want to show that I appreciate
this.

I don't worry much about cross-contamination because I think that this
is also being somewhat paranoid.  As my GI says, gluten is not
"indestructable" -- which is also why my husband (non-GF) and I share
all of our pots and pans without worrying -- and I can't see how any
residue would remain on a grill.  My doctor gives me a blood test every
year to see if there is gluten in my system and it has been negative
every time (in the 6 years since I was diagnosed) so I feel quite
confident that I'm doing something right!  Of course, everyone is
different, but my doctor never gave me any reason to think that this
disease would affect me beyond changing my diet and in my case, it
really hasn't.  I see it as a dietary restriction, but otherwise live my
life normally.
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Of course, you can eat the basics with no problem,  like a fresh fruit
and/or salad. And you can bring your own salad dressing in the restaurant if
you wish-however, most salad dressings are fine, now that the issues  of
vinegar (except for Malt) are no longer a threat. Oil and vinegar dressing
is always safe. Also, I do not see a problem with bringing your own GF bread
or roll in also. I sometimes bring into the restaurant with me a small/med
tote bag (like Igloo)
Here is what I do if it is a planned outing;
I call the restaurant in advance, and talk with the manger and/or cook and
explain about what I can and can not eat, and how to prepare the food and
ask what they have that is safe, explain about the cross contamination issue
and how important that is for you. Everyone that I have talked with has been
very helpful and nice. Once I get there, I ask to speak with the manager or
cook again.
I almost always order a grilled chicken with salad. Find out if the grill is
separate from other areas in the kitchen-most of them are, and what they
marinade with. Ask if they can just marinade with oil, pepper and salt, if
they can, they will.
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If you stick with plain grilled meats, plain baked potatoes (butter on the
side), green salads with oil & vinegar on the side, you will be ok. Outback
Steakhouse has a GF menu that has some wonderful choices.  We have
never had a problem there. We eat out once or twice every week and haven't
had any problems in a
long time.  The only real problem that we did have was in ordering from what
we thought was a safe menu from Applebees.  They had changed the formula on
the meal we always ordered and my husband got a good dose of gluten that
day.
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You order things that are made in their own pan!  You get things grilled
over
fire..they can't use breading there.  You learn how things are cooked so
that you
know what to eliminate.
Most of all, you explain to your waitperson that you have a serious health
issue
and that if you get an wheat/gluten you will immediaatly get explosive
diarrhea and
vomitting and that it will not be good for business....
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