My dinner w/ Frankar

(recipes)

Broiled asparagus spears: They didn't have the small, young ones at the Berkeley Bowl; the ones I bought were about 1.5 cm in diameter. Wasn't sure whether to peel them or not. I chose not to. Wrong! Shankenstein loved them, but I know I've done them better. (6/10)
Sauteed shiitake mushrooms: Again, F'wack liked these, but it was better with morels (duh). There was a slight acrid taste (lexicographers: can something be slightly acrid?), which I think came from the stems. Next time I'll remove them first. (5/10) Aside: shiitake prices at Berkeley markets vary by a factor of three, and there's a definite correlation with quality. Need to find my appropriate shiitake level.
Braised cabbage and potatoes: I burned the outer cabbage leaves, but the non-burned bits were really quite good. The potatoes were just there. (6.5/10)
Ling cod: You should've seen the face of emerging omnivore Shankenstein when he tried it. I ate mine, but put the rest back in the oven. (6/10)
Frankar's cake: Man, I need to borrow F's Joy of Cooking. (infinity/10)

No disasters, then, which is as much as one can reasonably hope for.