Reasonable, non-chain restaurant good for group dinner in Fairfax, Falls Church, Alexandria, or Arlington?

I'm visiting the DC area later this week from the Bay Area and am trying to find a restaurant for a relatively large (9 people) dinner with my cousins. I've been searching for a restaurant for several days now and haven't come up with much... I'm sure lots of good options exist, I just don't even know where to start and I'm starting to worry that if I don't find one soon, we won't be able to get a reservation. Here's what I/we are looking for:

1) reasonably priced (shouldn't be too difficult to find an entree or two under $15)
2) good for groups and not too loud/dark
3) not to "exotic" or scary for unadventurous eaters -- while I love pretty much all kinds of food, it seems like my cousins are American-meat-and-potatoes type folks who might not appreciate things like Ethiopian or Vietnamese (much to my chagrin) :P
4) willing to take reservations
5) I think everyone has a car, so metro-accessible isn't an imperative, but it might be a bonus.
6) The group would probably be happiest with a place in Fairfax or Falls Church, but I'm willing to expand the search a bit (to Alexandria, Arlington, and...?) if necessary to find what we're looking for.

Thank you, in advance!

-Jared