There aren't many good restaurants in the area, and we'd be wrong to ignore Kunihisa Goto's Axel, which a few years ago had the honor of being named Grand de Demain in our columns. Recently, however, we've noticed a loss of steam, starting in the dining room, where everyone doesn't always seem fully committed to their role. In the kitchen, the chef and his team continue to make the most of the great classics of French cuisine, but it's hard to see the little extra that would allow us to keep our three toques, whether it's the low-temperature Onsen egg, green asparagus and morel mushrooms, the too-smooth red mullet, potatoes and artichoke or the sweetbread heart with carrots and peas, which lacks both gourmandise and character. Princely fare.