Is Toasted Really Better?

I think one of the most disappointing things is to have someone strongly recommend something, so you try it thinking you will love it, and then... you don't. Someone I know recommended a book to me, said it was really good, so I went out and bought it. And hated it, I didn't even finish it, and I really loathe not finishing a book even if I don't like it.
When I was on Food Gawker, I found a recipe that looked interesting. Toasted mushroom pasta. The mushrooms aren't toasted, the pasta is. You toast the pasta by browning dried pasta in a mix of olive oil and butter. The pasta is then cooked in chicken broth and, once finished, tossed with sauteed mushrooms that were cooked down in wine and fresh parsley.
The blogger who posted this originally raved about this dish. I admit the ingredients sounded foolproof, however I found it to be lacking. I'm not sure if toasting the pasta gave enough taste to compensate for the extra oil and butter used in the recipe. And I found the sauce to be pretty bland.
I wanted to love it, I really did, but I just didn't.
Overall, I did like it and it tasted better the next day when I heated up leftovers for lunch. To fix the blandness problem I would add a minced shallot with the garlic step for the mushroom mix, as well as I would use a bit more wine. I also don't think I would toast the pasta. It's an interesting concept, but one that I think is unnecessary.