The following is part of a new series on unique date-night ideas

By Trent Modglin

Coming up with creative date-night ideas should be relatively easy, given all the quality restaurants, activities and charming areas that surround us here in Park Ridge. But sometimes with busy schedules getting in the way of proper research and planning, it’s often more of a struggle to break out of the normal routine.

Well, in November, the internet ads for the Candlelight Concert series put on by Fever — “the world’s leading tech platform for discovering culture and live entertainment” — were intriguing enough to draw us in, and are we ever glad they were.

These Chicago-area candlelight concerts are held in unique venues like the Stan Mansion in Logan Square, the Arts Center of Oak Park, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston and the Wicker Park Lutheran Church in Chicago.

We hopped the blue line down to the beautiful Wicker Park Lutheran Church (which is walking distance from the Damen stop at the intersection of Damen, North Avenue and Milwaukee) to catch the Metropolis String Quartet play a whole set list of U2’s most popular songs. Hundreds of candles adorned the entryway and interior of the church to provide a cozy vibe, and the four musicians, who have played together for 20 years, were incredible.

Hundreds of candles adorned the entryway and interior of the church to provide a cozy vibe, and the four musicians, who have played together for 20 years, were incredible at creating a unique U2 experience.

The sheer variety of these candlelight concerts — showcasing famous artists like the Beatles, Prince, Adele, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Taylor Swift, Drake and famous composers like Bach and Mozart — is impressive. There are even concerts centered around holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day if that suits you.

The intimate, serene setting combined with a talented string quartet playing songs you know by heart made for a pretty surreal experience.

Pre-show, we enjoyed dinner at Wolf & Company in Logan Square (1752 N. Western Ave.), which had come highly recommended to us by a recent Park Ridge Insider in the very pages of this magazine. It’s a sleek and stylish two-floor restaurant and bar — with an adjoining cafe, deli and market — that happens to make one of the best smash burgers we’ve ever had, not to mention a well-rounded menu of steaks, pasta, pizza and seafood.

Wolf & Company is a sleek and stylish two-floor restaurant and bar — with an adjoining cafe, deli and market — that offers a well-rounded menu of steaks, pasta, pizza and seafood.

Post concert, we decided we were long overdue for a visit to the Up Room, a cozy rooftop cocktail lounge on the 13th floor of the historic Robey Hotel in Wicker Park that feels a bit like a speakeasy. Sweeping views of the neighborhood and Chicago skyline are a big draw, as are the creative cocktails and quality wine list. Overall, an ideal (night) cap to the evening.

Do you have suggestions for a unique date night that should be featured in a future issue of The Real Park Ridge? Let us know.