Review of ANA flight from Tokyo to Chicago in First

Greetings Flight Report Community. Thanks for stopping by and having a look at this report. This is part 6 in the itinerary described below.
For this report I will be sharing an adventure that took place in November 2014. I've gone through my photos and determined there is enough to document the experience adequately. It's a pleasure for me to arrange the pictures into a report to relive the excitement of the trip. The reports will be broken down as follows:
LAX Delta Skyclub and Delta LAX-SEA (First)http://flight-report.com/en/report-10695.html
Delta SEA Skyclub and Delta SEA-ICN (Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-10721.html
Asiana ICN Business Class Lounge and Asiana ICN-SIN (Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-10729.html
Singapore Airlines The Private Room and Singapore Airlines SIN-HKG (First)http://flight-report.com/en/report-10764.html
United Club Hong Kong and ANA HKG-NRT (Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-10830.html
ANA Suite Lounge NRT and ANA NRT-ORD (First) (This Report)
I experienced several firsts on this adventure:
First time in SQ The Private Room (TPR) and SQ First
First time on ANA in any class
I spent the night at the Crown Plaza ANA Narita. I normally make the trip into town when I overnight at Narita but this time I was too tired and short on time. It really is a charming little village and strolling the Narita Omotesando on the way down to the Narita-san Shinsho-ji Temple is a treat. The Marond bakery over by the Narita JR station is excellent too.
A hotel contracted shuttle bus delivered me to the South Wing of Terminal 1 at Narita International Airport. Through reading previous flight reports I knew to make my way to the dedicated ANA Suites check in area.

It's an elegant space with partitioned work stations for checking in the customers. An o-shibori was provided during the check-in.

A quick trip through security and immigration and I was off to my home from home, the observation deck.

The VN Livery is very striking.

It was a quiet hour at Narita so I left the observation deck for the ANA Suite Lounge. On the journey to the lounge I managed a couple of shots of the airplane that would be performing NH12 to ORD today.

Lounge entrance.

A typical warm and gracious greeting was received at the door. My boarding pass was scanned and I was admitted. Once inside I was greeted by a lounge staff and asked if I was familiar with the lounge and if I'd like some thing to drink. I requested a sparkling water and was given a tour.
I decided on a seat and my water arrived with menu and o-shibori.

I chose a spot with good tarmac views.

Here's a look around the lounge as it's configured at 9am.
Noodle bar.

Buffet items.

Some fruits for me.

Followed by soba.

I was very excited to be on board so I went down to the gate to queue and be among the first on board. After a few minutes boarding started and First class was called.

I had selected seat 1K. My initial observations of the cabin were favorable. For a not fully enclosed suite it offers a lot of privacy. The blocking of the window on the outboard side of the seat is unfortunate for folks like me who are glued to the window.
Seat 2K.

I will note that he Japanese gentleman seated in 2K was of great import to ANA. He was brought on board by airline staff in suits and I lost count of the deep and numerous bows in his direction.
Seat 1K.

PJs, sweater, and slippers.

NCH and the Rimowa kit.

This is all I could see of the windows.

The seat is thoughtfully designed with lots of small storage compartments.

Seat controls.

Sony NCH.

I was welcomed by various crew members and offered a beverage and o-shibori. I chose the champagne.

Boarding was completed and First went out 8/8. A taxi down to 34L and we were off.
Service started promptly at 10000' and drink orders were taken. More champagne was requested.

The 1996 Charles Heidsieck Blanc Des Millenaires was a rich and unctuous wine but I found the bubble to be flat. Perhaps this was the intention of the winemaker but it was unlike any Champagne I have experienced.
The amuse was also delivered with the champagne. Here is how the menu listed them.

They were as beautiful to the eye as they were to the palate.

My glass was topped and the FA inquired as to how I found the elegant treats course. As a point of comparison I requested a glass of the Krug Grande Cuvee to enjoy beside the Heidsieck. I preferred the Krug.

The pace of the service was perfect for me and the table was set for lunch.

I opted for the western menu as I wasn't in the right mindset to experiment with the Kaiseki. Everything on the western side was appealing and easy. Maybe it was all the travel in a short time and fatigue got the better of me but I took the lazy western road.
The starter of caviar and tuna crudo. This was very tasty but I would prefer to take my caviar in the more traditional way with assorted garnishes.

I asked if they had any of the other starter for me to try and I was delivered this lovely foie gras presentation.

Next course was a rather sad salad. I can't remember is there was a soup on offer or not. I'm not sure what the point of this plate of lettuce.

I selected the beef entree. I can't remember if this was advertised as a wagyu or not but it was the most rich and marbled steak I have ever encountered. It was absolutely spectacular in flavor and texture. It was so rich I could only manage a few bites. The flight attendant was concerned and I had to reassure her that it was a lovely plate but just too much.

This beautiful South African Bordeaux style Cuvee was a perfect match and came on the recommendation of the flight attendant.

I opted for some cheese prior to the dessert course. The presentation and quality were both top notch.

This artistic dessert was a more visual then palatable.

A port to put a bow on a beautiful dining experience.

Time to head to the lav and slip on the pajamas. Some unique features on the Japanese carrier.

When I returned form the lav, per my request, the bed was made and I was ready for a sleep. It was a very comfortable cocoon and I managed 6 hours of sleep.

For breakfast I requested the Ippudo ramen and some green tea. I'm a big fan of Ippudo and this airplane version is quite good considering the conditions under which it is reconstituted.

We landed on time at ORD with carry on luggage and Global Entry I made a quick transfer to the UA departure terminal. For a point of comparison here is the lunch that was served on the 737-900 that took me to LAX.