Worth all the buzz, or too much hype?

In the last week, three debuts were coupled with hype and promotion to the point where you had to wonder about the degree of hyperbole.

Stephen Starr doesn’t do anything small, even if it’s a burger stand in a park. And that was the case as his SquareBurger (200 N. Sixth St.) debuted in Franklin Square. By the time Starr hosted the official grand opening, much of the media had already weighed in. Opinions varied but everyone was talking: Is it the Philly Dog — a hot dog wrapped in salami and served with pickles, onions, and cherry peppers  — that steals the show, or is the real star the Cake Shake, a milkshake blended with Butterscotch Krimpets and butterscotch sauce? Time will tell, but the hype is already in full gear.

Also debuting last week was Flying Fish’s Exit 11, the second in the New Jersey brewery’s line of beers saluting its home state. With simultaneous release parties at Varga Bar and Swift Half, the buzz machine was in full effect. Mothers Against Drunk Driving coming out against naming a beer for a highway exit ensured national attention — in fact, a cheer went up from the tasting crowd when the story made Fox News. And as for the beer? We almost forgot this hoppy American wheat makes a great summer choice.

No stranger to hype, nightlife promoter Tommy Up got his P.Y.T. (1050 N. Hancock St.) fully rolling over the weekend. Free sandwiches were offered to the thousands on Up’s Paper Street e-mail list, and by Sunday, the lobster fish sticks had been 86ed and the kegs were rotating as fast as the DJ’s turntables.

In the end, P.Y.T. was sold out.  So much so that the burger lounge is closing until the weekend to restock and hire additional staff. Or is that just a bit more hype?