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I moved here from Oakland, CA two years ago and the main difference I've found (besides obvious contrasts - better Mexican in Oakland, better Brazilian in Boston, etc) is value, not quality. Places like Craigie on Main, Hungry Mother, and Ten Tables are on par with many of my favorite SF Bay Area restaurants in terms of quality, but you simply have to pay more in Boston.

What I miss most about the Bay Area is the large number of casual neighborhood restaurants making fantastic food with high-quality local produce and meat. I'm thinking places like Pizzaiolo, Contigo, Pizzeria Delfina, Dopo, Gialina, Nopalito, and SPQR where you can drop in without a reservation on a weeknight and eat some of the best food in town without feeling like you're splurging. In my experience so far, to get this quality of food in Boston you need to spend quite a bit more at a more upscale restaurant. The notable exception to this is Coppa, which I hope is the beginning of a trend here. Their pizza is also the only I've had in the area that compares with the great selection of artisan pizza available in SF and NYC.

Boston has the talent, and it has the raw materials (although it's unfair to compare any city's produce with San Francisco). We just need more of the town's great chefs to bring impeccable execution and product down from "special occasion" food to everyday neighborhood dining.

I recognize that I'm relatively new to town, so please point me to all the fantastic neighborhood food I've missed. FWIW, my neighborhood is Cambridgeport/Central Square.