Jim Vinicky, who knew every great hole-in-the-wall spot to eat, like Yelp before there was Yelp, dead at 71

Jim Vinicky outside Guaranteed Rate Field. He loved food, family, animals and the White Sox. (Provided)

When Jim Vinicky attended a traditional Swedish Christmas Eve dinner at his high school girlfriend’s house in Hinsdale, he brought a jar of giardiniera.

It was an audacious move. The spiced and brined vegetables clashed with the family’s admittedly bland homemade sausage, pickled herring and hunks of cheese.