The script-markup mixture used by DoubleDollar or Backbone is really just a necessary quirk to achieve templating functionality. I haven't seen it done better honestly.
Try it, you're refusal to "get past the need to mix markup and code" is restricting you from some pretty helpful functionality if you build JS heavy web apps!
Thanks. I do build very JS heavy single-page web apps. Where I work we separate markup from code completely, and use MVVM to glue the things together. I've given an example above in reply to another comment.
People who write business code and logic often have little to no concern about tables vs divs, CSS quirks, and markup structure in general. Conversely, our UX people have no concerns whether we use MongoDB or SQL Server to serve records. They shouldn't have to. Our concerns are separated by using proper design and architecture, and we can work on things together while focusing on implementing our particular skillsets.
The script/markup mixture of DD and Backbone is not necessary at all, and it's a quirk because these frameworks (and others) make it one!
Try it, you're refusal to "get past the need to mix markup and code" is restricting you from some pretty helpful functionality if you build JS heavy web apps!