Insider’s Perspective: Joe Eszterhas, Author

EDITOR’S NOTE: We talked to a few notable Clevelanders and asked them what they liked about Northeast Ohio. Today’s interview is Joe Eszterhas, famous author living in Cleveland, Ohio and raising his family in a place with “no hidden agendas.” 

I know you were born in Hungary but you moved to Cleveland at an early age. Where did you live and what are your memories like?

I grew up on 41st and Lorain and I went past the West Side Market every morning on the way to school. Later on, we moved to Buckeye Road and then my parents lived in Cleveland Heights and I lived with them for a little while. I went to California in 1971.

How would you say that childhood experience informed your screenplays and books?

It was a very blue-collar neighborhood and a lot of my scripts have blue-collar characters. The first one, F.I.S.T., was actually set in Cleveland but it couldn’t be shot here. We needed an underground cable and there were so many TV antennas that we couldn’t do it here. There is no doubt that my view of the world was initially set at 41st and Lorain. I was an immigrant kid and couldn’t speak the language and my view of America was very much shaped by that. It became a very patriotic view and a number of people were really wonderful to me and helpful to me and treated me with great warmth. That was the beginning of being cemented with a terrific amount of love for this country. I still go back there and the neighborhood hasn’t changed that much. Nick’s Diner, which was the focus of the neighborhood, was a tough place to get by. Back in those days, a lot of teenagers in black leather jackets would congregate around there and sometimes you had to fight to get through. The diner is still there and when I was back for the Telling Lies in America shoot and I was standing around watching the shot, a guy handed me a card that said I was entitled to a free dinner at Nick’s Diner. I was very touched.

I think you now live in Bainbridge Township. What’s the best thing about your neighborhood?

Well, it’s got a terrific amount of privacy. We found the house and fell in love with it partly because my wife grew up in Mansfield near a little lake. She said, “This is the kind of area that I always loved when I was growing up.” It’s a very real neighborhood. I would describe it as suburban/rural. There aren’t a lot of houses in the development and we can live with a terrific amount of privacy. It’s very funny because I walk every day and as you probably know I went through cancer surgery in 2001. So I started walking the neighborhoods and people would drive by and stop and say, “Hang in there and keep walking.” They would say, “We’re glad you’re back.” One person said, “You never should have gone out there in the first place.” That really made me laugh. We have four boys and there is room for the guys to play baseball and they love fishing and they fish in the back. There’s warmth and privacy that we didn’t experience in Malibu where we had a mailbox that was ripped off all the time. We finally had to put one up that people couldn’t steal for a souvenir. That’s not how it is here. The school bus comes by every day and the kids go running out. The driver tells them off for being late. We got little league games to go to. It’s the best decision we ever made.

Where to Go for Good Sushi in Cleveland Plus

Recently, we ordered Sushi 86 in the office and that got me thinking . . . where else can you go in Cleveland Plus for good sushi? I mean, knowing that you are going to get “good” sushi when you are ordering is important. You don’t want to leave raw fish to chance. So, I asked my followers of @flee2thecleve on Twitter for their suggestions. Here’s the list we created:

• Sushi 86 (downtown)
• Ginza Sushi House (downtown)
• Sapporo Sushi (downtown)
• Sunset Lounge (downtown)
• Sushi Rock (downtown and east, Beachwood)
• Parallax (near west, Tremont neighborhood)
• Asuka (west, Westlake)
• Ohashi (west, North Olmsted)
• Sakura Japanese (west, Lakewood and south, Brecksville)
• Shinto Japanese Steakhouse Sushi Bar & Lounge (west, Strongsville)
• Ariyoshi Japanese Restaurant (east, Cleveland Heights)
• Pacific East Japanese Restaurant (east, Cleveland Heights)
• Shuhei Restaurant (east, Beachwood)
• Tree Country Bistro (east, Cleveland Heights)
• SASA (east, Shaker Square)
• Akiri Hibachi & Sushi (southeast, Solon)
• Kasai (south, Wadsworth)

Do you have another suggestion? Add it to the growing list by posting a comment on this blog. I think we can always use an honest referral when it comes to sushi. –Submitted by SF