Evan Dannells, former chef at Merchant and Lucille, has taken over Oliver’s Public House on the near west side.

At the end of September, Oliver’s will close for a minor redesign, and is planned to reopen in early October under the name Cadre.

“They designed a good kitchen, the back end all works,” said Dannells. “I love the bar and a whole lot of other things. We’re going to do just enough remodeling to have the aesthetic match what I’m going for food-wise.”

Dannells has a vision of rustic Southern French food with dishes like braises, confit, bouillabaisse (a French seafood stew) and steak frites. There will be roasted chicken and mussels, beef burgundy in winter and cassoulet on weekends. Dannells’ version of cheese curds will involve goat cheese, served with chili honey, pickled radish and blue cheese.

“Cheese on cheese, what’s more Wisconsin than that?” Dannells said.

Dannells was inspired by the etymology of the word “cadre,” which used to refer to the frame for a painting. Another contemporary definition is of a group of people trained for a purpose.