The Sweet Way An NYC Restaurant Surprised Sylvester Stallone

You don't need to be a "Rocky" fan to be familiar with Sylvester Stallone, nor to recognize the famous scene from the franchise in which his character, underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, races up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art while the film's iconic theme song, "Gonna Fly Now," plays triumphantly in the background. The actor, now in his mid-70s, may or may not be through with his "Rocky" days, but he's by no means cloistering himself in a Palm Beach mansion. On the contrary, he's in his hometown of New York filming for his Paramount+ debut, "Tulsa King." Per Variety, the limited series will star Stallone as a mafia captain who, after being exiled to Oklahoma following his release from prison, helms a new crime family with a hodgepodge of "unlikely" members. 

Still, it seems fans of Stallone will never tire of reminding him of the project that made him a household name. The actor treated his daughters and his production crew to a celebratory evening of Italian food at NYC restaurant Fresco by Scotto on Wednesday, per People, and the kitchen showed him some love with a sweet surprise.

At Fresco by Scotto, a Midtown restaurant known for its homey Tuscan fare, Sylvester Stallone reportedly had "a large plate of rigatoni Bolognese with a giant meatball on top," per Page Six. That giant dinner was joined by a gargantuan dessert. A video shows him looking delighted as the kitchen staff capped off the actor's meal by presenting him with an enormous cannoli on a sparkler-adorned platter. Naturally, the "Rocky" theme was played. Stallone posed for photos with the staff before digging into his Italian dessert, which, as People notes, looked "large enough to feed" at least 10 Sylvester Stallones. In an apparent nod to Rocky fans, Stallone raised his arms ala Balboa, drawing cheers, according to an unnamed source for Page Six.

A post on the restaurant's Instagram page shows Stallone and his family looking cheery on the night of their meal, standing in the restaurant's tree-lined outdoor dining area. According to People, the cannoli wasn't the only surprise Stallone got that day. Earlier, while on set in Brooklyn, his eldest daughter stopped by without having told her dad she was in town. 

For a man who loves to post pictures of his family on Instagram, it sounds like Stallone had his idea of a perfect day, capped off with a perfect dessert.