There was no beverage list on the menu except for wines, which seems like mildly bad service to me; some places just have a few sodas, some have juices, some have slightly unusual things like San Pelligrino water, etc. When we were asked what we'd like to drink, my daughter asked for iced tea, I asked for a Zinfandel from the wine list, (and repeated the name 3 times before the waiter seemed to get it. I assure you, I was speaking clearly and looking at him, and the name was simple to prounounce and nothing like the other zin on the menu.)
My husband asked what beers they had, and was told Heineken, Sierra Nevada and "something, I don't know, maybe Maritus, I don't remember how it's pronounced.
"Ohhhkay. Well, what kind of beer is that? Dark, amber, pale...?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know beers." My husband decided to try it.
I don't expect every waiter in the world to know everything about everything, but a passing familiarity with the menu seems like a good idea, especially something like alcohol, which helps keep restaurants in the black! But a simple "I'll find out," would've done wonders.
He walked away, came back about five minutes later, without our drinks, and we ordered our appetizers and salads without much to-do, then I ordered my entree, Bistecca alla Griglia (steak with mushrooms in a wine sauce.) I started with the name, as far as I know, pronouncing it correctly, then saying "Steak with mushrooms," in English." Finally, I pointed at the menu.
"I'm sorry, I don't hear so good!"
We were there before the dinner rush, it was going to get a lot louder and a lot harder to hear. Maybe waiting tables is not his calling, since he doesn't hear so good and doesn't know how to pronounce things.
The food was good, the beer was evidently good (I'm not into beer. Googling "Maritus beer" has found me Phoenix beer, which is bottled on the Ile de Maritius, and which I doubt was what he meant, and Martis beer which seems to be defunct, although there are still signs and clocks extant. But we did not have dessert, and we did not tip well (just under 15%, which is about half of our norm for good service.)