ELEVATION BURGER - MARYLAND HOUSE, MARYLAND

It was a road trip from hell. The traffic was insufferable, we were both car weary, famished for something good to eat and the GPS was offering us nothing exciting to detour toward. When we reached the Maryland House, one of the I-95 Travel Plazas, I was determined to find something other than chips and soda pop for us to eat.

Recently renovated, the new 42,000 square-foot facility features food from Deli & Co., Wendy's, Phillips Seafood, Dunkin' Donuts, Jerry's Subs & Pizza, Currito, Nathan's Famous, Auntie Anne's and Carvel. There's also a  new 5,700 square-foot A-Plus convenience store at the Sunoco high-speed fueling station which features food from Elevation Burger.

Elevation Burger is an American fast casual restaurant chain which features burgers made of organic meat, fresh cut French fries cooked in olive oil, a burger that can be made with as many as ten patties  - a vertigo burger, two kinds of veggie burger and hand-blended milkshakes made from hand-scooped ice cream.

So, this was not bad. We both ordered the elevation burger which was two patties, lettuce, tomato, and their special elevation sauce. There wasn't enough special sauce for Big Daddy so he added mayo to his. But the burger was really quite tasty and had great flavor. I found the fries slightly greasy and it surprised me because they're supposed to be fried in olive oil, but I think it was because they needed to drain a minute or two longer but their was a crowd and lengthy line and the two young men working were trying hard to keep up and keep the customers happy.

We both know that it will never be our go-to burger place but we would stop again if we needed to. I've heard that reviews are mixed about the food chain but it would seem that most of this has to do with the service and necessarily the quality of the food. We had a great experience, excellent service for a rest stop and no complaints.

JOHN'S PIZZA - STAMFORD, CT

A literary event took me back to my hometown recently. I was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut a quaint, sleepy little town located some thirty miles from Manhattan. Time has transformed the landscape from a quaint, sleepy little town into a bustling metropolis that holds much less charm. But a continued staple that made the three day trip well worth it was a much beloved pizza shop that still sits at the intersection of Grove Street and Strawberry Hill.

I grew up on John's Pizza. It was a weekly staple that my parents never waivered from. John's Pizza is a family-owned business that has been around since 1968. Theirs is a Greek-styled pan pizza and I'm told that they recipe has never been changed.

Friday nights my father would come through the door with pizza boxes stacked five high and it was sheer heaven! I was so excited to share that memory and that experience with the big guy so John's Pizza was one of our first stops after arriving in the city.

Everything about the meal screamed home and comfort. The crust was still as flavorful with just the right about of crisp that I remembered. The sauce was precision, the medley of tomatoes and seasonings sheer bliss. We ordered pepperoni and days later I regretted not ordering a sausage pie, and maybe two or three others to take back home with us. It was just that good.

After savoring the delight I was excited to hear what the big guy had to say and with two thumbs up he said he'd definitely eat there again. I didn't need to say that I would do so also without a moments hesitation.

I did, however, have one complaint. The pies seemed amazingly smaller than I remembered. But as both my parents noted, back then, I had been much smaller as well, so of course, back then, they seemed humongous in my mind!