The Reheat Index takes one of the District’s favorite foods and sends it through the microwave. Some meals will rise again, delicious and transformed, others will fall apart when faced with electromagnetic radiation. 

Where:  Kangaroo Boxing Club,3410 11th St. NW

The Dish: Bacon gorgonzola mac and cheese, $4. In a city with fierce brunch competition, KBC earned Washington City Paper‘s staff pick for 2013’s Best Hangover Brunch. I’m not nursing a hangover, but these earthy noodles and tangy gorgonzola still feel pretty restorative to me. For a dish packed with bacon and cheese, it doesn’t seem to taste too salty either. Overall, a simple treat.

To go please! Served in a ramekin, Kangaroo Boxing Club’s portion of mac and cheese is a small and satisfying indulgence. In fact, the serving is sized so well, it seems unlikely that anyone would ever have leftovers. But if you’re jonesing for some comfort food, KBC will pack you a single order in tiny cup.

Time Cooked: 60 hours later. After about 45 seconds in the microwave, the terrifying sound of cracking fat sounds more like popcorn than mac and cheese. Against my better judgement, I let it cook for the full two minutes. When I take the cup out, it’s vibrating with the hot fat and smells a little sour.

The Reheatening: Seems smart to start by siphoning off nearly a tablespoon of nuclear yellow oil just pooling in the cup. Then again, without the oil, this small serving of pasta is overwhelmingly salty, so salty that it masks all other flavors. Plus, globs of fatty sauce now haphazardly coagulate on the noodles. On top of it all, my bacon gorgonzola pasta concoction somehow manages to look much worse than it tastes, and it doesn’t taste great. But at least the Gemelli noodles stayed springy.

Warm Up Points (1-5): 2. Finish this one at the table. That portion is small for a reason.

Photos by Megan Arellano