I know what you mean about too far out and too far down. My solution is Ritchey BioMax Pro II bars. I think Salsa makes something similar, like Short and Shallow or something like that. A nice compact bar that I think looks better than most bars on the market. Comfy too. Here's a pic of mine on my Jamis Quest. I also put them on my CX bike too. Just today (not in this pic) I tilted the bars up a bit more so that the bar up to the hoods is basically flat. Seems better.
