The new Surly Straggler looks nice for a light touring/cross bike. But if you want to travel heavier (not that a fully self-contained load has to be heavy), it's probably not the right choice.

Don't expect to find a "do everything well" bike, especially if you get something that can handle a full load. My LHT does that extremely well, and it's a decent commuter and short (e.g. 25-30 miles), moderately paced road ride bike, but for fast rides, forget it.