Steady Brewing opens Steady Kitchen & Taps in Fountain Valley – Orange County Register

If you’re in the mood for a craft beer, Fountain Valley might not be the first town you want to go to. Steady Brewing is trying to change that.

Three weeks ago, Monika Henderson, her husband Aaron, and brewmaster Dennis Russo opened Steady Kitchen & Taps, a satellite restaurant for their Long Beach brewery.

“Dennis develops all the recipes himself,” says Monika Henderson.

Russo’s beers will be brewed at the Long Beach location and brought to the new 12-tap restaurant. Six faucets will likely be permanent fixtures that regulars can order at any time, while the other six will rotate as Russo continues to create new concoctions, Russo said.

Russo has lived in Fountain Valley since his parents moved with their family as teenagers a few decades ago. The group founded Steady Brewing five years ago in Long Beach, where the Hendersons live, and when it came time to expand, Fountain Valley seemed like the perfect place.

There aren’t many other nightspots, and the restaurant’s location in a residential area off Magnolia Street was intentional.

“We want the neighborhood to know it’s their place,” Henderson said. You’ve seen more than once people walking over from home to get something to drink or eat. The steady growth since opening is mainly due to word of mouth and social media.

“It was interesting because the customers [between the two locations] are different and have different tastes,” Henderson said.

One of the most popular drinks at the new location so far is the Madras, which Henderson described as a brewed cocktail that’s a little “vinous” and very tart. As Russo adjusts to the tastes of its diverse customers, menus become more personalized.

For music lovers, the brewery has a few beers named after local punk bands such as Fear (founded in Los Angeles) American Lager, Channel 3 (founded in Cerritos) Baynquit Bee and Adolescents (founded in Fullerton) IPA.

Russo met Aaron Henderson when he was about 20 years old after moving from his parents’ house to an apartment owned by Henderson’s family. He started brewing beer in the apartment because he wasn’t old enough to buy beer. He and the Hendersons have been best friends ever since.

Her Long Beach location also introduced her to the restaurant’s Executive Chef, Noah Schneider.

“I think he’s such a genius, everyone has loved the food so far,” Henderson said.

Schneider is 24 and was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He moved to Chicago for culinary school and lived there for three years before moving to Long Beach for the fresh produce and seasonal ingredients.

“I was supposed to be here for six months, then I never left,” said Schneider. He has lived in Long Beach for five years now. He met the Hendersons because at the time he was a co-owner and curated the menu for Coffee Parlor, a coffee shop next to the brewery. When Schneider got the chance to be hired at the new location, he took it.