A new Brazilian eatery serving sweet and savory pastries that opened in mid-June joins a growing number of dining spots with international cuisine that have settled in Ellsworth.
Acadia Flatbread Brazilian Soul, which opened June 19 at 56 Washington St., is at least the fourth restaurant with international food to come to Ellsworth in under a year. The business is operated by Brazilian couple Raquel de Assis and her husband Jesrael Melo, who is behind the eatery’s signature dish: “esfihas,” a hand-sized, doughy pastry topped with a mixture of meat and cheese or cream and fruit.
The new dining spot reflects Ellsworth’s broader growth. As Hancock County’s primary service center that also draws people from western Washington County, the city has embraced development, welcoming in recent years large retail chains, a new Dysart’s convenience store and car wash, tourist lodging, and Jackson Laboratory’s 200,000-square-foot mouse production facility.
Last fall, Cilantro Indian Bistro and Bar opened along the High Street corridor, and, in January, a pair of local business partners opened a Jamaican fusion restaurant on Main Street. A few months later, in April, the former owners of a beloved downtown South Asian restaurant launched their new grab-and-go shop on State Street, replacing a longtime deli shop with a casual to-go market centered around Sri Lankan and Indian-inspired dishes.
The most recent addition to Ellsworth’s dining options specializes in the Brazilian rendition of the traditional Middle Eastern esfiha. Introduced to Brazil by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants in the late 19th century, and colloquially termed the “Arab empanada,” the dish has become a staple in Brazilian bakeries.
Assis, who left Boca Raton, Florida, in November with her 9-year-old son Elijah, said the eatery has received warm welcome from community members in Ellsworth and beyond — in the week since opening, Assis said some customers had driven as far as an hour and a half to eat at the restaurant.
“When I came here, I saw this small town community that is so close, so human. They’re so helpful, and they support you,” Assis said, adding she was on the verge of moving to Hawaii before opting for Maine. “We just feel like it’s home. Maine is home. We feel safe, we feel comfortable. I used to say that we came from hell to heaven.”
Assis, who was a hairdresser before deciding in February to pursue the restaurant, said the idea came after her husband began cooking esfihas for their neighbors. Once they realized Mainers had an appetite for the Brazilian dish, they started designing Acadia Flatbread.
Assis and her husband transformed a former tanning salon into what is now an open-kitchen restaurant where customers can watch Melo cook their esfihas, Assis said. The restaurant is decorated around Maine’s forests and waters, with a table resting on a birch log base wrapped in ivy and an expansive service counter covered in cross-cut log ends. Assis, who described herself as a talented crafter, said she and her husband, a carpenter and barber by trade, did all of the renovations themselves.
Acadia Flatbread offers a buffet of affordable savory and sweet esfihas. Several of their savory options pair cheese and protein, including beef, chicken, sliced sausage, ham and tuna, sold for $3.75 apiece. Of the three sweet esfihas, which are marginally more expensive, one mixes guava paste and cheese, another combines banana and cinnamon and a third couples banana with dulce de leche, a South American delicacy often compared to caramel.
Their menu also features six Brazilian desserts, including the country’s version of carrot cake, corn cake and caramel flan. Individual portions of mousse, an iconic Brazilian chocolate fudge truffle and a cup layered with “premium sweets” are also available. They also have acai bowls and may soon introduce juices, a spread of lunch dishes and frozen gluten-free options, Assis said.
The new restaurant also offers discounted bundle deals, including two dozen esfihas for $13 off and three dozen for $23 off. Most customers buy take out, Assis said, but the restaurant has several small tables available for dining-in. The restaurant has been screening World Cup matches on a TV mounted above the cashier stand, which was playing a surfing competition around noon on Friday.
“It’s always exciting to see a new restaurant open in downtown Ellsworth,” said Cara Romano, executive director of community nonprofit Heart of Ellsworth. “Acadia Flatbread brings another unique dining experience to our community, and having flavors from around the world right here in our downtown gives both residents and visitors even more reasons to explore, dine and spend time in Ellsworth.”
Apart from the support the restaurant has received since opening, Assis raved about Ellsworth’s local elementary and middle school, which she said was “the best school system in the United States.” Assis credited the public school’s teachers for supporting her family during their move, noting her incoming fourth grader had excelled since joining the school.
Several customer reviews have praised the restaurant’s young host, Elijah, noting he “should train people on how to be an amazing host,” as one 5-star Facebook review said.