It was hot, hot, hot in Los Angeles this week, and not just because of the weather.
That's because the Flamin' Hot Cheetos pop-up restaurant, which features gourmet dishes made with the spicy snack, opened to much fanfare. Tickets to the three-day event sold out in under an hour.
Chef Roy Choi, the Korean American chef behind Kogi BBQ, created ten unique dishes for the custom menu.
"I really didn't want this thing to be a gimmick where it's just like food that's thrown together and just Cheetos thrown on top," Choi said. "We really tried to look at the Cheetos as an ingredient all the way through."
Choi said Cheetos approached him about signing on as the chef of their first Hot Cheetos pop-up restaurant, following the success of the Cheetos pop-up in New York City. The self-described "immigrant child" recalled his first Flamin' Hot Cheetos experience in the '90s.
"I remember first seeing the Hot Cheetos come onto the shelves [in a liquor store] ... and as an immigrant child, it was like finally something is speaking to me," Choi said.
Here's a look at the hottest dishes of the week.
1. Flamin' Hot Fries
These Flamin' Hot Puffs have cheese and a chili sour cream sauce covering them.
2. Hot Cheetos Burrito
This burrito is filled with Flamin' Hot cheetos, short rib, avocado, cheese, sour cream and sauce.
3. Cheetos Sweet n' Spicy Chili Meatballs
These beef and pork meatballs are infused with XXTRA Flamin' Hot Cheetos, and come with a spicy chili sauce.
4. Flamin' Hot Chipotle Ranch Wings
These sweet and spicy chili sauce wings are coated with Flamin' Hot Chipotle Ranch Cheetos.
5. Flamin' Hot Elotes
This corn is buttered and topped with white cheddar and Flamin' Hot Puffs.
Choi recognizes that these are all indulgent dishes, but he believes in having fun with your food and letting go once in while.
Items on the food menu ranged from $8 to $32 per dish.
