I am considering cashing in AAdvantage miles for a trip to HKG in December in CX First Class.

Assume I am leaving from JFK or some east coast feeder city to JFK. My question is, what routing should I take to get the most bang for my buck in terms of overall experience. I am interested in food, service, aircraft and departure lounges (which probably vary the most between gateways).

I took CX First all the way from JFK several years ago and it was great. However, given the late hour, service/food was so so. Departure lounge was BA's and is was pretty good, but not great.

I also took CX first from SFO several years ago, but got burned when they ran an old Airbus with seats that didn't even recline all the way (I was pissed) -- my understanding is that they now use a 747. The departure lounge there (assuming they still use JAL's Sakura lounge) is worthless in my opinion.

I guess what I'm asking is should I go on CX all the way from JFK (most time efficient)? Or should I route through SFO or LAX and enjoy the AA Premium Flagship service to the west coast and then hop on the CX to HKG. What is CX like out of LAX -- I think it's always a 747, but how is the departure lounge?

Basically, how would you route this if you were me? Thanks in advance for any input.