There are enough Irish pubs in this city to keep every McDonald and Flannigan in the phone book Guinness-logged, so you can’t blame some of them for trying to freshen things up a bit. Slainte (pronounced “Slan-chuh,” not “Slant” or “Sl’aint”) trades in the traditional close, dark, slightly musty environs for an airier, more modern feel. There’s still the de riguer long, wooden bar, exposed brick, and mural, but it’s lit by track lighting in a warehouse-like space, with sports playing on a projector screen. The crowd is lively and the music is a good mix of ’80s and reliable dance classics that will get any bachelorette raising her pint and gyrating. It’s as good an ale house as any to slam an Irish Car Bomb or watch a match.
