I am considering a
Soma Double Cross for these very same reasons. I currently commute on an early 90's Specialized Rockhopper, and think that a road bike would be a bit too unforgiving of the roads around here, and a mountain bike is just too heavy, not enough hand positions (even with bar ends), and just not fast enough on some of the longer road trips I take.
I recently found a guy in the town that I live in that has a small repair shop, and he also builds a few bikes a year to sell. I poked around his shop, and he showed me the Double Cross, and I just fell in love with it. He is going to build it up for me over the winter with used parts mainly, and by spring (when I can finally afford it), I will have a spiffy new cross bike!