Jose McIntyres: neither Irish nor Mexican but more than a little Greek

If serving Corona and Guinness makes a bar Mexican-Irish, then every second-class establishment in America would earn this label. Jose McIntyre's offers no more ethnic flavor than a Shakira remix or two, but it does succeed in convincing its 21 (and under, it seems) crowd to shake their money-makers with wild abandon.

Outside the bar, which is located on Milk Street just behind Faneuil Hall, the atmosphere is classy, as buildings designed in19th century architecture dot the street. Inside, spilled beer dots the walls and floor, the atmosphere is more like a glorified frat party, complete with plenty of "affectionate" dance floor couples.

When you walk in the bar, you are met with the standard Faneuil Hall bar greeting _ "pay up" _ as a $5 cover charge seems to be how the wannabe dance clubs in the area legitimize themselves. After you fork over the money, you head inside and upstairs where the coat check demands another $2 for anyone who doesn't want to freeze their halter top off. It doesn't really matter whether you stay on this floor or head downstairs _ both floors are equally blah.

Floor 1: two-room bar and dance floor. Floor 2: two-room bar and dance floor. Notice a pattern? What makes the second floor unique (besides the fabulous coat check, which was operated by a very attractive woman whose job was to remove clothing from people for money) is a small cash-only bar with a cheap light beer selection. We didn't think Bud Light could get any more trailer park, until they came out with those wide mouth plastic bottles.

For those too drunk to make it to the bar, Jose McIntyre's brings the alcohol to you. Don't flail your arms too wildly while dancing, or you might knock over a server with a tray of jello shots. There is little room to move in general, and we had one beer down for the count within the first ten minutes.

Though there is nothing distinctive about the set-up and drinks at Jose McIntyre's, the great music creates a party atmosphere. The live DJ spun current hip-hop, '90s favorites, as well as some Burren classics like "Livin' on a Prayer," and several dance remixes. Because the bar is set back from Faneuil Hall, the dance floor wasn't too crowded to move _ you're better off here than on that strip by Government Center.

Like frat parties, Jose McIntyre's is a great place to go if your idea of a long-term relationship is a night of yelling over loud music and making out on the dance floor. You're not likely to meet your soulmate here, but the crowd was young, friendly, and social.

Though we had a good time ogling the hotties on the dance floor, Jose McIntyres did not come off as any different than the other club-bars that are popping up all over Boston. The establishment is one of six owned by the Glynn Company in the Boston area, and it is cut with the same cookie cutter as its neighbors the Purple Shamrock and the Black Rose. They are halfway houses for barely legal college students who are ready to leave the frats but have yet to taste an alcoholic drink that doesn't come out of Milwaukee.

These bars prove that Faneuil Hall is the Cancun of Boston, with fleece substituted for bikinis. The club-bar may be gaining in popularity, but it doesn't retain an audience past the age of 23. The one group of people dressed in suits at Jose McIntyre's seemed oddly out of place and was clearly shunned by the rest of the crowd.

These cookie-cutter bars are all similar in that they are restaurants during lunch and dinner time and become clubs later at night. We thought that the Mexican-Irish label of Jose McIntyre's might have been because of its cuisine, but then we looked at the menu. Scrumptious British-Hispanic items such as boneless buffalo wings and spud skins as well as a rare South American dish called "nachos" are among the fine ethnic delicacies. Incidentally, Dewick-Macphie recently applied for Irish-Mexican pub status, citing the addition of the Nacho Cheesinator2000 as a unique cultural offering. Ah, if only it also served Corona.

All kidding aside, Jose McIntyre's is entertaining but altogether forgettable. It would be a fun stop on a pub crawl, but the cover charges for the Faneuil Hall bars make commitment necessary. But if you just got your first fake ID and don't feel classy enough for Pravda 116, walk, don't run to Jose McIntyre's _ or as the Irish say, "?Ol?©!"