I too like a blue steak. I find that when I order one in France the waiter often looks surprised (as if to say, "What? an Anglo-Saxon ordering a steak cooked blue!), but I get what I want. In the USA and the UK, about half the time the steak comes medium—rare (if you ask for it blue or rare) or medium (if you ask for it medium or well-done) anyway.
I agree that any bartender worth his or her job ought to know what a whisky sour is. Even if not, a good bartender always has a good book of mixed drinks and cocktails to hand and ought to be able to look it up. (After all, no one can remember everything, I guess.) I was surprised on a recent visit to Seattle that the bartender in the main bar of one of the top-line hotels didn't know what a champagne cocktail was. One of the waitresses knew, though...