I'm the guy selling the 57cm Bilenky, so my advice might be a bit unusual but if you aren't going off deep into the wilds and the Bilenky doesn't do it for you, have a look at Marinoni. The Turismo is a steel touring bike or frame and none too expensive at around $1600US or $1850US with a disc brake set-up. It doesn't have lugs but is well-finished. These are Canadian prices (in US$) but shipping to NYC for example would be around $100 or so.

http://www.bikespecialties.com/marin...rismodisk.html
http://www.bikespecialties.com/marinoni/turismo.html