"Omelette" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American television comedy-drama series The Bear. It is the 17th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Joanna Calo and series creator Christopher Storer, and directed by Storer. It was released on Hulu on June 22, 2023, along with the rest of the season.
The series follows Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, an award-winning New York City chef de cuisine, who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his late brother Michael's failing Italian beef sandwich shop. In the episode, the staff prepares for the soft opening of The Bear, while Cicero gives some advice to Carmy over his priorities.
The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the calmed nature of the episode, character development and pacing.
Natalie (Abby Elliott) surprises Carmy by revealing she invited their mother for the opening, and Carmy reluctantly supports the decision. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) gets Fak (Matty Matheson) and Gary (Corey Hendrix) to work in front of the restaurant to help him, and also talks with Natalie over having to increase reservations despite a fully booked two weeks in order to reach profitability. As the staff prepares for the final stages, Cicero (Oliver Platt) pays a visit to talk with Carmy. He provides him with his business license, but warns him about prioritizing the restaurant's best interests. He compares it to the Steve Bartman incident, feeling that a single mistake could potentially lead to other disastrous events. As such, Carmy chooses to ignore Claire's phone call prior to the opening, so she leaves a voice message instead.
As Carmy and Sydney try to accommodate a table, Carmy apologizes for his behavior, and promises to be more cooperative with her in their plans. He also surprises her by giving her a custom chef's coat. With just a minutes away, Carmy has forgotten to have the handle of the walk-in refrigerator replaced, but is focused in getting everything ready. With Carmy, Richie and Natalie in the reception, Sydney proclaims "let it rip", and Richie opens the door to the customers.
Production
Development
In May 2023, Hulu confirmed that the ninth episode of the season would be titled "Omelette", and was to be written by executive producer Joanna Calo and series creator Christopher Storer, and directed by Storer.[1] It was Calo's fifth writing credit, Storer's seventh writing credit, and Storer's eleventh directing credit.[2]
Syd's omelette is based on a classic French omelette.[4][5] A French omelette is prepared differently than omelettes served in the United States, where the show is set.[6]
French omelettes are different from American omelettes in two primary ways. First, they are very thin, and they cook very quickly. American omelettes tend to be thick and fluffy, stuffed with toppings and add-ins, but a French omelette is thin and elegant. The second difference is the toppings. American omelettes include a bevy of options, but the French version traditionally only includes eggs, butter, and perhaps some cheese, but not always. The point of a French omelette is to highlight the creamy, perfectly cooked eggs without any distraction from other ingredients.[6]
According to restaurateur Abe Beame, Syd's omelette technique is "more or less flawless, although, if I may nitpick, the pan doesn't seem hot enough because the butter isn't 'singing' as it should when it first hits the pan, and she pipes a thin tube of Boursin onto the setting eggs, a major no-no (but almost certainly delicious, based on Ludo Lefevbre's omelet recipe). Extra point for rubbing butter onto the rolled omelet on the plate, and the textural chip crumble with chive garnish spoke directly to my Jewish palate. More food-based intimacy in season 3, please."[7][8][9]
Boursin is a so-called "Gournay cheese" invented by Norman cheese maker François Boursin in 1957.[10] It's a soft, creamy, spreadable cow's milk cheese—not dissimilar from mascarpone, goat's milk chèvre, or Brie—that was "inspired by the common French party treat called fromage frais."[11] The original flavor is garlic-and-fines herbes.[10] Chef Lefevbre recommends the cracked black pepper flavor of Boursin for an omelette.[12] Lacking Boursin, scallion-blend cream cheese from a bagel shop is a viable substitute.[13] Sydney used what were likely sour-cream-and-onion-flavor Ruffles-brand potato chips, since she mentioned using chips that have "ridges," but any crumbled-up potato chip would work.[13] One food writer commented that the use of crumbled potato chips recalled the use of potato in tortilla española.[14]
1⁄2 head cauliflower chopped into small florets 10 ribs celery diced 5 carrots diced 2 large bell peppers 1 cup sliced green pitted olives 4 serrano peppers sliced
"Omelette" received critical acclaim. Marah Eakin of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "The Bear has always been about personal development and clearing out all the mess left over from years of neglect, be it greasy oven hoods or childhood trauma. Perhaps The Bear's future lies not just in further excavation of that idea but also in figuring out how to use those old bricks to build something new, whether it's functional adulthood, a thriving career, or a successful relationship."[21]
A.J. Daulerio of Decider wrote, "I guess Nat decided that Richie was the best option to captain the front of the house. I love the transformation, but this guy was stealing electricity a month ago. They should let him bus tables for a few nights first."[22] Arnav Srivastava of The Review Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The final stepping stone to the finale was all about the little details. This episode really gave viewers an opportunity to critique the characters and their decisions, such as what may be behind Carmen's inclinations."[23] Karl R De Mesa from Show Snob wrote, "Carmy brings out a gift for her. It's a new chef’s whites double-breasted jacket with her initials on them. The rest of the episode is a beautiful cut-to-cut of the prep chaos and will that goes on behind every kitchen five minutes to opening. What an appetizer for the season finale."[24]
Rafa Boladeras of MovieWeb named the episode as the sixth best of the season, writing "the most important moment in the whole episode is the conversation between Carmy and Sydney under the table, about how they're a team, and they wouldn't want to do this without the other. This talk is as emotionally open and sincere as they come, or at least for two people who aren't a couple, just friends and co-workers. Also, an omelette on TV has never looked as delicious as the one Sydney cooks for Natalie."[25] Jasmine Blu of TV Fanatic named the episode as the sixth best of the season, writing "The penultimate episode of the season perfectly set things up for the intense finale as it subtly put the spotlight on some key aspects of what would arise. Carmy missing the call from the Fridge guy and routinely being distracted, for example."[26]
Retrospective reviews
In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter placed "Omelette" at 18 on a ranked list of 28 episodes produced to that point.[27]
In 2025, Vulture ranked "Omelette" as 21st-best out of 38 episodes of The Bear, describing it as "more of an appetizer teasing the season two finale than a whole meal on its own."[28]
↑ Kindelsperger, Nick (July 29, 2020). "20 Best Italian Beefs". Chicago Tribune (Part 1 of 2). pp.5–1. Retrieved October 5, 2025. & "Beef" (Part 2 of 2). pp.5–11.
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