If you aren't intending to ride for more than an hour or two at a time then flat bars will be fine and you can get STI shifters at a far better price than drop ones. Likewise if you don't intend to do serious mountain biking then suspension is a waste of time and money.
Something like this maybe?
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=5996 The RRP is $770 so should be able to find it for less. The 700c wheels mean you have the choice of road, cyclocross or touring tyres which as you aren't into DH is fine. The cassette ratio isn't ideal but this can be changed.
The only other thing you might want is a suspension seatpost or a sprung brooks saddle - if you negotiate with a bike shop they should swap stuff for the difference in price.