Overnight layover at IAH, couple of questions about the airport/area

I've got an overnight layover in Houston later this year and I've got a few questions about logistics/navigating the area around IAH airport. Both my flight in on the first day, and then outwards on the second will be international (so probably terminal E?) for what it's worth.

I've had a look at the Airport FAQ in the sidebar, and had a search, but haven't seen much to answer my specific questions, plus newer information never hurts.

While it is overnight, I'm not looking to do too much. I've got a long day of travelling beforehand, and my flight out is pretty early, I just want to eat and sleep.

With all that in mind:

• Is the area kind of just south of the airport mostly fine with hotels and stuff? I'm assuming it's like most cities where it's almost entirely focussed on people travelling, but if I'm better off going a bit further out then I can do

• How's traffic/getting to the airport in the morning? My flight out is at about 7:45 so I'm guessing traffic isn't going to be too bad that early, but I know some airports can be terrible sometimes

• How early should I be at the airport? Standard here is about 2 hours, but I wanted to double check.

• And finally, a more fun question. While I've only got one night, and I want to spend most of it sleeping, what's the top-tier True American fast food I should get while I'm there? Current front runners are Wendys for the Baconator, or the infamous Popeye's Spicy Chicken Sandwich, but very open to hearing opinions.

Thanks in advance for any help!