The late Fred Picker of Zone VI fame advocated looking at the scene and then deciding where zone VIII (last tone in the highlight) should be and then basing the exposure based on that reading. It works. And sometimes given a particularly difficult metering scenario, I will try this on at least one neg. Develop it normally and sometimes I will use that exposure. I agree with Francesco that a very good neg will yield a very good print. I, too, will likely reshoot a shot if possible.
Good darkroom technique is important also. Like Les, I am not a fan of film development but I feel it is important to the creation of the fine print. That is my objective (the final print) and it is foolish to jeopardize that goal.
lee\c
