The White House has, essentially, held down the culinary fort at the corner of Arctic and Mississippi avenues as that general area of Ducktown - the old Italian neighborhood of Atlantic City - slid into decline even as the casinos a few blocks toward the ocean thrived.
Now, though, the White House has become the anchor of a sort of restaurant row around Arctic and Mississippi. While the casinos are going more upscale with big names like Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay and Georges Perrier, the eats are ethnic and homey out in Ducktown.
Next door to the south of the White House at 2303 Arctic Ave. is Panchos Mexican Taqueria. Panchos is an unassuming place - no Beatles or DiMaggio on the walls, but plenty of inexpensive and unusual Mexican fare.
For instance, under the "tacos" section at this "autentica taqueria Mexicana" are 13 choices of fillings - $3.25 for a single and $9 for a three-taco platter. Besides the expected chicken, pork and beef are tripa (tripe), lengua (tongue), chivo (goat) and cabeza (pig's head). There are fajitas for $8.50 and burritos from $6.50 to $8.
Among the homemade drinks for $2.50 are those made from tamarinds, rice milk and cinnamon, and dried Jamaican flowers.
Across Arctic from Panchos is Formica Brothers Bakery Café. For nearly a century, the storefront at 2310 Arctic Ave. was a standard bakery, selling the Formica breads and those especially wonderful cannolis. A couple of years back, though, current owner Frank Formica gussied up the place with bright colors and café tables, and he's added some weekend evening jazz concerts.
Formica said he decided to fix up and bring in the café because of The Walk, the outlet shopping district a couple of blocks to the north, along what had been a strip of tenements along Michigan Avenue.
