To me the real test for a compact crankset has to do with your favorite flat road gear. You'd like for it to fall right in the middle of the cassette, probably on the big ring. That'll give you two or three "trim" gears in either direction without cross chaining. The issue isn't just the cross chaining itself, it's finding the appropriate rear cog after making the big jump in front chainrings. That's a momentum loser.

It sounds to me like you might benefit from a cassette with larger cogs. That would probably let you ride the flats in the big ring and the middle cogs and avoid cross chaining. Save that 34 for the hills.