Oh yeah, right, you're muttering. It's a recession. Taking a 5-year-old to the Four Seasons - what's the point?

Readers, I feel your pain. Which is why we had a modest goal for our visit to the hotel: one sweet, steaming cup of hot chocolate ($6) for each of us.

The host showed us to a lovely sitting area, perfect for the five of us. My husband, Devin, and I sank into a high-back, red leather banquette while the little kids crawled into swivel chairs. As it happens, we weren't the only family there that day. The lounge was surprisingly full of children, and the din of the brunch crowd kept us from feeling self-conscious when our brood got boisterous.

By the time our server, Emilio, swept up to the table, I knew the outing was going to be a home run. He brought crayons and mazes for Nate and Rachel, and they settled right in. We asked for hot chocolates all around, and he nodded sagely, as if we'd just ordered a bottle of Chateau Margaux and lobster thermidor .

Nate looked around the room. "This place, where we're sitting, is like our own secret house," he said.

The cocoa came in porcelain pots, along with whipped cream in bowls. The kids' faces lit up, and Chris grabbed the camera. Emilio happened to be walking by at just that moment, with a carafe of coffee in his hands.

"Would you like me to take a picture of the family?" he asked. We would.

Not long after, the chocolate nearly gone, Emilio returned again. In his hands he carried toys, nothing big: a tiny stuffed whale and a seal. "Can we let your sister choose first?" Emilio asked Nate. "OK, sure," he answered. Now that's what I call a treat.