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What produces a brilliant meal? Great cooking is a combination of art, dedication, fabulous ingredients, talent and now, it seems, science. Recently, I had the amazing experience of eating at Alinea in Chicago, voted top restaurant in the United States by Gourmet magazine. It is, according to the U.K.'s Restaurant magazine, one of the best 50 in the world. As well, executive chef Grant Achatz has just won the James Beard award for best chef in the Midwest. His imagination, dedication and understanding of science consistently produced flawless food.

The famous song Razzle Dazzle, from the musical Chicago, describes Alinea to a T. My meal, which took 5½hours to eat, consisted of 26 fascinating courses accompanied by 13 wines that were equally wonderful. And it went by in no time at all.

At Alinea, the waiter is your coach. He knows all. "Don't use your hands for this one; pop it into your mouth whole, otherwise you lose the effect!" This is food as theatre and art. Achatz works with a designer who makes all his tableware specially for serving the spectacular food. My favourite was the eyeball, a dish that looks like an eyeball without a centre; it is designed to keep the food completely cold.

The menu changes every day. The lighting is computerized and changes to match the moods. This is the only restaurant I have been to where duck with mango is served on a lavender pillow so that the aroma will enhance the taste. And then there was the foie gras truffle. Because there is such a thing as taste-bud weariness, Achatz serves desserts throughout the meal to stimulate different areas of the mouth. It was an incredible experience.

Chef has supplied me with two recipes that can be made at home.

SALMON WITH BOK CHOY AND GINGER VAPOUR

Achatz uses Alaskan wild salmon for this dish. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

What you need

Salmon:

4 wild salmon fillets, about 4 ounces each

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 piece (about 2 inches long) ginger root, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon sweet rice wine

1 tablespoon sake

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup toasted sesame oil

Bok choy:

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 cups chopped baby bok choy

¼ teaspoon salt

Ginger vapour:

2 large unpeeled ginger roots, thinly sliced

What you do

Place salmon in a shallow pan. Whisk together garlic, chopped ginger, rice wine, sake, soy sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl. Pour all but ¼ cup of the marinade over salmon and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours. Reserve remaining marinade.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bok choy and cook, stirring often, until almost tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt; keep warm.

Preheat a grill or skillet on high heat. Remove salmon from marinade and discard that marinade. Cook salmon, turning once, until cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes a side.

Meanwhile, for the ginger vapour, bring water to a boil in a teapot or medium saucepan over high heat. Divide sliced ginger between four large bowls. Divide salmon and bok choy between four smaller bowls and drizzle with reserved ¼ cup marinade. Place smaller bowls inside larger bowls with ginger. Carefully pour hot water into each large bowl to just cover the ginger. The vapour gives another dimension to the dish. Serves 4.

LOBSTER WITH WILD MUSHROOMS AND ROSEMARY VAPOUR

This recipe is very high in butter, but it's worth all the work and all the calories. It combines aroma and flavour in a unique fashion: Bowls of steaming rosemary vapour accompany the luxurious main course. The piney fragrance of fresh rosemary adds another level to the taste experience. I bought cooked lobsters from a fish shop to help streamline the process.

What you need

1 cup distilled white vinegar

4 750-gram (1½-pound) live lobsters

½ cup canola oil

3 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 fresh fennel bulb, thinly sliced

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

4 fresh tarragon sprigs

8 cups fresh rosemary leaves stripped from branches

2 tablespoons butter

1½cups (3¼ sticks) butter, room temperature

1 pound assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as oyster, cremini, chanterelle and stemmed shiitake), cut into 1-inch pieces

4 large fresh thyme sprigs

3 garlic cloves, halved

What you do

Bring 8 quarts water and vinegar to boil in 10- to 12-quart pot. Add 2 lobsters head-first and cook until shells turn bright red and lobsters are just cooked through, about 11 minutes. Using tongs, remove lobsters from water. Repeat with remaining 2 lobsters. (Or purchase already cooked lobster). Twist claws and tails off lobsters.

Crack claws and remove meat. Using kitchen shears or heavy large knife, cut lobster tails lengthwise in half; remove tail meat. Cut meat into large bite-size pieces. Place in medium bowl; cover and refrigerate. Reserve claw and tail shells.

Rinse shells under cold water. Place in large bowl. Pour cold water over and soak 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well.

Heat ¼ cup oil in large pot over medium heat. Add lobster shells, carrots, onion, fennel, tomatoes and tarragon. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Add 4 quarts water and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain lobster broth into large bowl, pressing on solids. Strain broth again through fine strainer into same pot.

Boil over medium-high heat until broth is reduced to 2 cups. (Can be made 1 day ahead.) Cool slightly; chill broth and lobster meat separately.)

Bring 1 quart water to boil in tea kettle. Place 1 cup rosemary in each of 8 large bowls; place on table.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter with ¼ cup oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, thyme and garlic and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 6 minutes. Discard thyme and garlic. Add lobster meat and ½ cup butter to skillet and heat through, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring lobster broth to simmer in small saucepan. Pour hot lobster broth into blender; add 1 cup butter. Blend until butter is melted and mixture is frothy, about 30 seconds.

Divide lobster mixture among 8 shallow bowls. Pour butter sauce and foam over lobster mixture and serve. Pour 1 cup boiling water into each bowl of rosemary to create vapour. Wow.

To see the entire 26-course menu I enjoyed at Alinea, plus wine pairings, visit http://lucywaverman.com

lwaverman@globeandmail.com