Another shop to check out is Gear West out in the western Suburbs (west on 394 out in Long Lake) http://www.gearwest.com . They are the premiere triathlon bike shop in the area but they carry all kinds of bikes and they are fit experts.

If you really want to do some off-roading, I agree that you don't want a road bike. And in my opinion, a hybrid is doesn't really do well on or off the road. A mountain bike might be what your looking for. I put slicks on mine and commute to/from work on it and it does all right for that although I would not want to go on a long road ride with it. In my opinion, the best all-around bike for road, path, trail, and off-road is a cyclo-cross bike. But they are "specialty" bikes and may start above your price range. Check into them, though.