Ask the French, and they'll tell you a properly done omelet is a rare object to behold—a simple but elusive creature in an American restaurant culture too used to mediocrity. But Joseph Mahon has done it. He has created an omelet with nary a burned spot, wrinkle, crease or a tear. It's uniformly yellow from bow to stern, as smooth, taut and supple as a newborn's skin. When you cut into it, you notice it's smooth but fluffy, firm but not quite solid, and from the middle, what can be best described as manna oozes out. It almost doesn't matter what you decide to fill your Early Bird omelet with—chorizo and avocado for the El Guapo, or something more pedestrian such as grated Cheddar. What matters is that the blanket of beaten egg folded over it as though a hug is as perfect a specimen as any you'll ever see on Earth.
