If you don't want to spend a fortune, the Kona ***** Tonk is a decent general purpose steel road bike. But if I were you I'd go vintage. Lots of 1980s reynolds 531 bikes out there for modest money, fairly easy to upgrade with modern drivetrains...

EDIT - Jeez, the censor won't even let me post the name of a bike. It's the Kona H*nky Tonk.