You need to check out downtown Las Vegas’ Therapy

This sharing thing just might catch on.

I'm kidding, of course; tapas- and small-plates-style sharing menus have taken off all over the valley — as in many other parts of the country — and for good reason. In these days when our electronic gadgets push us farther and farther apart, what's better than to sit down and share a few plates with family or friends — even if you're all checking out those phones from time to time? And as we discover new foods and new ways of preparing and presenting them, this mix-and-match style of dining is a great way to try new things without committing to an entire entree.

Therapy is one of the latest generation of restaurants that specialize in this style of eating; unlike the others, which usually call themselves tapas or small-plates spots, places like Therapy emphasize the social aspects of the sharing experience. And indeed; if we can have social media in a myriad of formats, why not social dining?

Accordingly, on our visit to Therapy we skipped the few entree-sized dishes on the menu (labeled "knife and fork") and went with those labeled "bites" and "social club," both of which drive home the point. Some we chose at the suggestion of our affable and professional waiter, some simply called out to us.

Oxtail empanadas ($12), one of the former, ranked among our favorites. The robust meat, long-braised, shredded and tender, lay in sharp contrast to the crisp neutrality of the dough that encased it. And the cup of harissa lime creme fraiche lent a lightly astringent creaminess.

We love bacon-wrapped dates despite the fact that they've become almost a small-plates cliche, and these were much better than most. Billed as Devils on Horseback ($9, and a play on the "Mad Men"-era Angels on Horseback, which were oysters wrapped in bacon), they were dates stuffed with almonds and a soft goat cheese, then wrapped in bacon and accompanied by Romesco sauce, roasted red peppers and almonds. It was a pleasing, complementary array of flavors and textures.

We also liked the charred asparagus ($12), even if it was sort of all over the place. You had an abundance of spears, not quite charred but sufficiently cooked and quite appealing, and a profusion of confit tomatoes, Parmesan shavings, little nests of rich, salty ham (the menu called it country ham, but because it had been so thinly shaved, it seemed like prosciutto to us) and a poached egg for even more richness. Contrasts all over the place there, which normally we love, but there didn't seem to be a whole lot of cohesion. Still, we liked the dish and would order it again.

Pretzel bread ($6), perhaps the simplest of the dishes we tried, was still somehow less than the sum of its parts. The fingers of bread had the right texture and flavor, even if they were absent the dark-brown crust, but the dip served with them, which the menu said would be a spicy beer mustard and sea salt butter, wasn't spicy at all, and the overall effect was just salty.

And then there was the roasted cauliflower ($10), the dish that most disappointed us — and we're normally great fans of roasted cauliflower. It sounded like a great idea, the boldness of the roasted vegetable offset by the muskiness of curry, crunch of slivered almonds and sweetness of China Ranch dates (plus, we love supporting local growers, and in Southern Nevada it doesn't get much more local than China Ranch), but there was a misfire here. The cauliflower hadn't been roasted long enough and so it both didn't develop the customary depth of flavor and was too hard to pair well with the dates.

Service throughout was fine, the dishes coming out seemingly at random (as is customary), empty dishes cleared and flatware replaced promptly by a team that included our waiter, a runner and a managerial type.

The decor is the cool standard of the day, which is to say somewhat industrial but without the discomfort that true industrial would entail.

The way we dine has changed quite a bit over the past few years, with things becoming much more casual and quirky. But neither of those need preclude a dedication to good food, and at Therapy, with its up-to-the-moment vibe and peripatetic style, they don't, a few missteps notwithstanding.

— Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Email Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at www.reviewjournal.com and bestoflasvegas.com and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.