About 11 years ago, Mark Wade and his wife, Nancy McMahon, who live in the Mexican War Streets, lamented that a former bar and restaurant eight doors down from their home had been “sitting empty for a long time.”

“Mark always had a vision of what it should be,” McMahon says. He told his wife he was going to invest in it, even though neither Wade, an attorney, nor McMahon, an occupational health nurse, had any experience running a restaurant.

That was in 2003. After taking ownership, Wade and McMahon had the walls painted a deep green above the extensive woodwork, giving the interior an Irish pub vibe. Indeed, even though the bar-restaurant is now called the Monterey Pub for its street name, there’s an Irish flag flying outside, and a “failte” sign, made by a friend, Harry McCafferty, in the front window, meaning “welcome” in Gaelic.

“It has become a neighborhood restaurant and a gathering place for neighbors,” McMahon says. The Mexican War Streets Society, which promotes the neighborhood that developed during the Mexican-American War in the 1840s, had no place to put its plaque with plates engraved with the names of its presidents. The members asked Wade and McMahon to place it on a wall in the Monterey Pub, where it now hangs.

A regular patron who works in the restaurant business came in one day and replaced all the white lampshades over the brass wall sconces with black ones, giving it a more intimate atmosphere.

“People just take ownership of this place,” McMahon says.

That’s not to say Monterey Pub is completely akin to the bar in “Cheers,” where “everyone knows your name.” Instead, there are three waves of customers over the course of the day: from opening at 3 until 6 p.m. or so, there’s “a local family atmosphere,” says chef Joe Jones, 32, who lives above the restaurant. From 6 until 9 p.m., the clientele consists of “people getting home from work” and patronizing the pub for a restaurant meal.

“At 9 p.m., it’s more of a bar feel,” Jones says.

“Fridays at 9, we get people from everywhere,” says Mara McDonough, 38, of nearby Manchester, who has been pub manager since its opening in 2003. “I guarantee you, if you come once, you will come back, for the atmosphere, the service —”

“And the food,” McMahon finishes.

The menu offers an array of dishes for its three waves of customers. There are appetizers for after-work and late-night imbibers, including Guinness Shredded Beef Nachos with tomatoes, cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, salsa, sour cream and guacamole for $10.25, and War Street Wings, six for $7.25 and a dozen for $10.25. Ranch, blue-cheese dressing and celery are extra.

Monterey Pub offers soups, salads, side dishes, sandwiches and wraps, including the Swinewich that appeals to pork lovers with its combination of roasted pork, bacon, ham, lettuce and tomato, topped with pesto mayonnaise on wheat bread, for $10.25. A Grilled Chicken Spinach Sandwich includes spinach, goat cheese and roasted red peppers on a ciabatta roll for $11.25.

Irish pub fare includes dishes such as Shepherd’s Pie, with shredded beef knuckle and garlic smashed potatoes, for $11.99; and Bangers and Mash — Irish sausages in a Guinness and caramelized onion pan gravy, with garlic smashed potatoes — for $12.99. And dinners include blackened grilled salmon with soup or salad and choice of two side dishes for $14.99, or filet of sirloin for $21.99.

Monterey Pub features daily specials, such as Burger & Martini Nights on Mondays. Thursdays are Mexican Nights — appropriate for a pub in the Mexican War Streets, where the streets are named for Mexican-American War battles and generals. Features include pub-style Mexican dishes and $1 off Corona and Corona Light beers.

Jones has been cooking since a stint at age 16 at a local Wendy’s and later branched out into cooking at full-service restaurants.

“It wasn’t a career choice; it was an evolution,” Jones says. He first began working part-time at the pub while working at another restaurant, but Monterey Pub “was such a great place,” he eventually quit the other job.

Sandra Fischione Donovan is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.

Pub-Style Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie is a traditional meal-in-one dish served in pubs all over Ireland and England. Monterey Pub has been serving it for years.

Joe Jones, the pub’s chief cook, slow-roasts the beef knuckle for five hours in a sauce made of Frank’s Red Hot sauce, Guinness, A-1 steak sauce, barbecue sauce and honey. The balance of hot, slightly bitter, savory and sweet flavors gives the beef and, therefore, the shepherd’s pie a depth of flavor that partners well with the vegetables.

For the shredded beef:

2 pounds beef knuckle, peeled, or any beef roast or ground beef

1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning

1 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce

1⁄4 cup A-1 sauce

1 cup barbecue sauce (Jones prefers Sweet Baby Ray’s)

1 pint Guinness

1 cup honey

For the garlic smashed potatoes:

2 pounds red-skin potatoes

4 ounces (1 stick) butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the vegetables:

1 small onion, diced

1 small carrot, diced

Vegetable oil

8 ounces vegetable mixture (green beans, lima beans, peas and corn, or vegetables of your choice)

8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

To prepare the beef: Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Coat the beef knuckle or other roast with the steak seasoning. Sear the meat, then place it in a roasting pan. Add the three sauces, the beer and the honey; cover the pan and cook the meat in the oven for 5 hours.

To prepare the smashed potatoes: Boil the potatoes for 30 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the potatoes, then place them back in the pot used for boiling. Add the butter, heavy cream, granulated garlic and chives, and season with salt and pepper. Mash to the desired texture.

To prepare the vegetables: Add the onion and carrot to a separate pan and saute in oil for 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and saute for an additional 5 minutes.

After the beef is finished roasting, remove it from the pan and shred it into short strands with a fork. Add the beef and 2 cups of the roasting juices to the pot with the vegetables. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

To assemble the pie: Portion the beef and vegetables into four large serving bowls (or place the entire mixture into a large ovenproof casserole dish if cooking for a buffet). Add a layer of garlic smashed potatoes, covering the meat and vegetables, then top with cheese. Place it in oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 8 servings.

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